Addicted To Rock
by gymnast1150
Summary: Cammie is a high-society college student focused on graduating as valedictorian. She always does what's expected of her, and she expects it to be done perfectly. Zach is an adrenaline junkie trying to find fame as a rock star. He makes no apologies for his actions, and lives life how he wants. But both of their worlds are turned upside down when their "perfect lives" collide...
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything about this story. Ally Carter owns everything related to the Gallagher Girls world, and the storyline and extra characters all belong to K.A. Linde, the author of "Take Me For Granted," the novel in which I had translated into this Zammie fanfic story (: If you have already read her book, or if you plan on reading it because of my interpretation of it, just know that my story will be less graphic and will include less profanity. I love the book the way it is, but it's not exactly FF appropriate lol. There will also be small changes made to make it as close to the Gallagher books as possible, so there might be some confusion if you try comparing K.A. Linde's book and my story (:**

 **Thanks, and I hope you enjoy (:**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

"It's just not working."

Four words—and I was completely detached from every single one of them.

It hadn't been working between Josh and me for a while. It wasn't just because I wasn't willing to lose my virginity to him. Though, I was sure that had factored into his decision. I just didn't like him more than my perfect 4.0 GPA, and that was a low blow to his ego. I guessed the fact that I wouldn't lose my virginity to him was a blow to his ego, too. _Oh, well…_

"Cammie, it's not you. It's me."

 _Uh-huh._

"I don't want to hurt you."

 _Too late._

 _Sort of._

 _Did I finish that chemistry assignment?_

I couldn't remember. I was pretty sure I'd gotten through the last two problems. They'd been the most difficult. Maybe if he hurried this up, I could double-check them.

"I hope we can still be friends," Josh continued.

"That's okay," I said, my voice indifferent. "I mean, we weren't really friends before, and we don't have any classes together. Actually, we have very little in common."

"Cammie, this is what I'm talking about. You always just spit out the first thing on your mind."

I was already bored with the situation. I reached up and started fiddling with the top button of my peach cardigan. His eyes flicked to the movement, and his face hardened.

 _Oh, well._

The day a guy held my interest longer than my chem lab, I'd probably marry him and have the requisite two-and-a-half children, like my parents.

"I just feel like sometimes…I don't know. Sometimes, I feel kind of like you just don't care. You get so wrapped up in everything else that—"

"What?" I asked, trying and failing to keep from snapping.

"I'm just saying that maybe you should stop and smell the roses."

"I don't like roses." I crinkled my nose.

Josh blew out his breath heavily. "Forget it."

"Okay."

When Josh left, I walked over to my desk and rechecked the chemistry assignment on my MacBook. _Finished. That's a relief._ Now, I wouldn't have to worry about that.

It was early September, and I was in my sophomore year at Gallagher University. I was taking my first upper-level class in the chemistry department. I wouldn't want to fall behind—not that it was likely. But with the homework off my mind, I could reflect on what had occurred.

Josh had dumped me. I wasn't sad exactly, not really. I was more disappointed. He was exactly the kind of guy I was supposed to be with—bright, junior at Gallagher, parents still happily married and part of the high society in Roseville like my parents were back home. He was driven, motivated, and ambitious…like me. I just didn't know why it hadn't worked, why it never worked.

Walking out of my bedroom, I turned toward the kitchen to make myself a pot of tea. Some honey lemon chai would make this all a little better.

"Hey, Cammie. I just saw Josh leave," one of my roommates, Macey, said with a smile. She was standing by the open refrigerator across the room. Her long dark hair was up in a ponytail, and wearing Nike running shorts and a neon green sports bra, looking like she'd just come from the gym. "You still making him wait?"

"I guess he'll have to wait a lifetime," I responded dryly.

"You should just give it up. It's really not a big deal. Bex is going to make fun of you for the rest of your life."

"I don't care what Bex thinks," I said stubbornly.

Bex might be one of my closest friends, but the girl was a real nuisance when it came to my love life.

"So, for real, why not Josh? Doesn't he fit the list of things you want in a guy?" Macey leaned her hip against the fridge and waited for my reply.

I looked up into her crystal blue eyes. "I don't have a list," I said defensively.

Macey snorted. "Well, if you had a list, wouldn't he fit it?"

I shrugged noncommittally. "Sure."

"Oh my goodness, she agrees with me without arguing. The world as we know it has ended!"

"You're hilarious, Macey. You should be a stand-up comedian," I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

"You haven't answered my question. Side-stepping won't work on me. Why not Josh?"

"Because he just broke up with me."

"What?" Macey all but shrieked. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. I was a jerk." She rushed forward and enveloped me in a hug.

She was taller than me by a few inches, and her stooping over me made me feel even more uncomfortable than I already was.

 _Sympathy—my favorite._

I stood there awkwardly as my roommate tried to console me for something I wasn't even sad about. Yeah, I was disappointed that it hadn't worked out, but it wasn't like I was a blubbering mess. Macey needed to pull herself together.

"I'm fine, Mace." I patted her back.

"You're not _fine_ , Cammie. You always act like you're fine, but you're clearly not. Who is fine after her boyfriend breaks up with her? No one."

"Really. It's okay."

"No. You know what? I'm going to call Bex and Liz. You're coming out with us tonight to the BlackThorne show at The League, and we're going to find you a rebound."

I fiercely shook my head from side to side. I didn't need a rebound. More importantly, I wasn't interested in rebounding off of someone I hadn't cared that much about. "No way, Macey. I am not going to a dumb bar to see a dumb band. That's not my thing."

"That's exactly why you should go! And BlackThorne isn't a dumb band," she scolded. "Even if you don't like the music, you will appreciate their talent."

"All I know is that you guys drool all over them," I said.

"That's because the whole band is smoking hot."

I rolled my eyes. That was just what I wanted to do—spend my precious sleeping hours at a party with some crappy college band. "Count me out."

Macey narrowed her eyes at me and gave me a look that said, _Just try to argue with me._

I'd seen that look before. It was never followed by something I would be happy about.

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

I couldn't remember the number of women I'd slept with.

Yeah, that might sound cocky or maybe a bit disgusting even, but I'd never cared.

Whoever was lying beside me needed to get out before I could remember her name.

 _Did I remember her name?_

 _Lany._

 _Lacy._

 _Lucy?_

 _No._

 _Shit._

I didn't care. She just needed to leave so I could go back to sleep.

"Babe," I grumbled, nudging the chick in the ribs. "Darlin'."

"Mmm," she groaned. "I love when you call me darlin'."

I'd already known she liked it. She had lost her clothes quickly enough to the sound of it last night. Now, I'd never say it again if it meant that she would get out quicker.

"Time to go home."

The girl turned on her side and tucked the comforter under her arms, covering her chest. _Well, there went her best quality._ She gave me a come-and-get-me look and pouted her lips as if that would change my mind. _Not likely._

"Oh, come on, Zach," she whispered throatily.

Her hand slid down my chest and then farther south. _Yeah, not happening._ I wasn't interested in another mediocre performance on her part. Before she dipped below the waistband of my boxers, I brushed her hand away.

"No, honey. It's time for you to go home." I rolled onto my back and reached for the joint and lighter on my nightstand.

"That's not what you were saying last night."

I flicked the Zippo to life and took a drag on the joint. "That's what I'm saying now. You knew how this was going to go when you came back with me. So, save me the headache and just leave."

"Baby…" she whined.

She tried to shimmy closer to me, but I pushed her away.

 _Man, her voice gets on my nerves._ "This was fun. Nothing more."

"Can't we have fun again?"

"No. I'd rather have fun with someone else," I told her point-blank, taking another drag.

Her jaw dropped, and she hopped out of bed. "Whore," she snapped. She snatched up her clothes and then stormed toward the door.

I waited until it slammed shut behind her before blowing out the smoke.

It wasn't the first time I'd heard that. Although, I preferred the term _manwhore_. I'd earned that title, and I was damn proud of it. I had a different girl in my bed every night. I was living the life. There was no way I was giving that up for some random chick I'd met a bar.

* * *

 **Well, here it is! Let me know what you guys think (: I know Zach being very... _promiscuous_...might be a turn off to some, especially with the language the original story has, but I've tried to tone it down to make it more acceptable and a lot less graphic lol. This is one of my favorite books, and I realize it might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I think the storyline is one everyone can appreciate (: And I'm really excited to be sharing it with you all!**

 **So, yes, I want to know your thoughts! And thanks so much for reading (: Stay tuned, next chapter we get to see Zammie's first interaction ;) And you definitely don't want to miss how Cammie manages to snag his interest ;P**


	2. Chapter 2

**A big thanks to all who favorited/followed this story! You're why I continue to write (:**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

We hopped off the small stage at a local campus bar, The Ivy League.

"That was a fucking good set!" Grant yelled. He flexed his bulging biceps and set his black guitar down on a stand.

"You're telling me," Jonas cried, high-fiving him. The bassist was the brains of the operation. He was tall, clean-cut, and put together with short black hair and a quiet confidence.

Aaron flipped his drumstick in his hand and nodded. His shaggy brown hair fell into his eyes, and he swished it to the side. He was tall and lanky with an I-could-not-care-less attitude, but he always managed to mellow us out. "Killer. I need a beer."

"Me, too," I said, nodding at my bandmates and sticking a pick into the front pocket of my jeans.

"Beer first and then bitches," Grant said. He clapped me on the back and made his way toward the stage door that exited to the bar.

As soon as the door opened, the screaming began. I smiled and ran a hand back through my dark brown hair. After the music, this was the best part. I lived and breathed music, but damn, the chicks I would get from doing what I loved didn't hurt.

I followed the rest of the guys out the door, and I was immediately surrounded by a crowd of girls. I had my pick of the litter at this party. I liked when my biggest decision of the night was blonde or brunette. The Gallagher crowd was one of the best. As smart as the chicks were, they would all act dumb and turn into putty in my hands.

Even though none of us had actually gone to Gallagher, I considered the League our home base. Jonas had hooked us up with a semiregular deal. Now that we all lived in the area, we would play shows every other week or so. We'd moved here from the Virginia Beach area after graduation and stayed. I wasn't even from Virginia, like the other guys. My parents had relocated from Maine when I was ten. That was before shit had hit the fan.

A beer was passed to me almost instantly, and as I took a swig, I slung my arm around the closest girl to me. "What's your name, darlin'?"

"Kimberly," she peeped, exposing more cleavage as she pressed herself against me.

My mind wandered, and I started thinking about how fast I could get her out of that top and get my hands on her. I scanned the other girls around her, my eyes instantly drawn to a girl with a nicer rack.

"Well, Kimberly, do you know that girl right there?" I asked, pointing her out.

"My friend, Tina?"

"Tina, darlin', come over here." I crooked my finger at her.

Her eyes widened, and she jogged over. It was a beautiful sight.

"Oh my God, you're Zachary Goode," Tina groaned.

"That I am." I finished off my beer and another appeared in my hand.

A second later, Jonas and Aaron showed up with a girl carrying a tray full of shots. After tossing back a couple, I decided to cut the small talk and get down to business. Neither girl protested.

I'd barely wrangled her and her friend into a corner before Big Tits had her tongue down my throat. I knew the place wasn't crowded enough to push the other chick to her knees, but the alcohol was kicking in, and I was seriously contemplating it. It wouldn't have been the first time. As if she'd read my mind, the chick started working on my belt buckle, and I just fisted her hair as a thank you. At least I knew how the night was going to go.

"Bro!" Grant called.

I broke away from Big Tits long enough to send Grant a fuck-off look as he jogged up to where I was standing. "Kind of busy, Grant."

Grant scoffed at me. "You can do better."

The girls gasped. I took in another look at them and wondered why they were acting all offended. Grant was probably right. I _could_ do better, but I'd been heading toward something pretty nice.

 _Oh, well. Later perhaps._ I nodded my head at Grant. "True."

"Pig," Kimberly grumbled, standing swiftly. She grabbed Tina's hand, flipped me off, and dragged her away.

I bet they'd still do me if I asked.

"Sorry to cockblock, but I totally just drugged some chick," Grant said, smiling like a total dope while crossing his arms over his chest.

"You just did _what_?" I furrowed my brow. "What the fuck did you do that for?"

"So, look, I know this chick Bex. She follows us around when we tour, and she brought her fucking hot roommates with her tonight. I picked one out, but she turned me down flat."

My eyebrows shot up. I was as straight as the next guy, but even I could admit that Grant was a good-looking guy. He had the gym-rat look going for him—tan skin, styled hair, and built like a tank.

"You finally meet a chick who says no, and your response is to slip something into her drink? What the fuck is wrong with you? You don't drug girls to get them to have sex with you. You move on to the next one. Seriously, Grant, you're the scum of the earth."

"Yeah, bro. Are you just figuring this shit out?"

Grant cracked up, laughing at himself and all I could do was shake my head at my bandmate's insanity.

"You're a fucking imbecile, Grant."

He shrugged like he didn't care, but this was low, even for him. Although he couldn't get any girl he wanted like I could, it just seemed unnecessary. Not to mention, adding date rape to his record sounded pretty shitty.

"Just take a look at this chick, though, man."

"All right, show me which piece of ass turned down my man."

Grant pointed out a small blonde chick standing against a column surrounded by a few other girls, nursing a pint of beer. She looked completely out of place but coherent. I watched as she buttoned and unbuttoned the top of her cardigan. She didn't seem to be showing any side effects I would assume she'd have if Grant had really drugged her. Actually, she just appeared really uptight and vigilant. She looked like a cork, and I wanted to be the corkscrew—uncap that pressure and help her explode.

"No wonder she turned you down. The girl has a boyfriend," I told him automatically.

"She could be a closet nymph, and I bring out her inner sex kitten," Grant said, raising an eyebrow.

"No way. Boyfriend. I'll find out how serious it is." I winked at Grant and then started walking over toward the girl.

"Bro!"

I turned back around with my signature smirk already fastened into place. I was ready to go for the kill.

"You actually going to give her to me, man?" Grant asked, concerned.

"Sure. After I'm done with her."

I heard Grant cussing me out, but I tuned him out as I was striding toward the blonde. Grant wouldn't mind sloppy seconds. Plus, no one kept me interested very long anyway.

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

"Zach Goode is walking over here," Bex whispered. "Zach Goode is walking over _here_!" She grabbed Macey's arm and started bouncing up and down. Her dark curled hair flounced all around her.

Liz paced a little. Her blonde bob was as stylish as ever. She was generally quiet and extremely brilliant—much different than the rest of us. But we loved her nonetheless. "Oh my God, he's so gorgeous."

"I just can't believe it." Macey swished her raven hair over her shoulder. "He looks even better up close."

"Do I have to be the one to ask?" I messed with the button on my cardigan. "Who is Zach Goode?"

All three girls turned and stared at me at once. _Yeah, I guess I'm that person._

"What planet do you live on?" Bex asked. "I mean, I know Josh just broke up with you, but I can't believe it addled your brain _that_ much."

"Aw, that's cute, Bex. You think _my_ brain is addled."

"Don't even start with me," Bex snapped.

"All right. It doesn't matter," Macey said, jumping between Bex and me.

"Didn't you watch the show, Cammie?" Liz asked.

"Um…kind of?"

Okay…I hadn't really been paying attention. I'd had no interest in attending the concert in the first place, so I'd been going over the calculus lecture from yesterday in my head while I sipped on my beer. This just wasn't me. I preferred quiet places, like libraries, classrooms, and the privacy of my own room. Plus, the beer was disgusting. I'd just been staring at my new pint since that creepy guy had put something in it after I refused to suck his dick—his choice of words, not mine.

"Zach Goode is the lead singer of BlackThorne," Bex filled me in with an eye roll. "He's practically the whole reason we show up. I can just see his fingers playing across that guitar and imagine what they would do to my body."

I held up my hand. "TMI, Bex."

"And he's walking over here," Liz whispered, unnecessarily pointing him out.

I took a good, long look at Zach Goode. He swaggered more than walked over to us with his dark-wash jeans hanging low, hugging him perfectly. Tattoos peeked out of his charcoal gray T-shirt, and dog tags hung loose from his neck. He was muscular but lean. His hair was long in the front, but cut short on the sides, and looked purposely messy. His smirk was cocky and his eyes inviting.

His entire appeal from the clothes to his demeanor was contrived. Looking at my friends obsessing over him, I was pretty sure they were too far lost in a Zach Goode haze to see through the playboy attitude.

Zach walked right through a crowd of women clamoring for his attention and straight toward me. I just stared at him with furrowed brows. He smirked when he saw that he'd caught my attention. I almost looked away, but his attention only infuriated me. I tilted my chin up and held my ground. _What the hell did_ he _want?_

"Hey, Zach," Macey said when he finally stopped in front of us.

He nodded in Macey's direction, then his eyes were fixed on me. Which was weird, because Macey was one of the most gorgeous girls I knew.

"What's your name, darlin'?" he asked me.

I couldn't help it. I laughed. "Darlin'? Really?"

He took a swig from his pint, unaffected by my laugh. "I still didn't get your name, babe."

"Zach, this is my friend, Cammie," Bex said. "I'm Bex, and this is Macey and Liz. Did Grant tell you that I know him?"

Zach outright ignored my friends and continued to talk to me as if there hadn't been an interruption. "So, Cammie, you don't like darlin'?"

"I might like it if you happened to be from a fifties Western movie," I said.

He cracked a smile. "Not a western, darlin'. Try Southern gentleman. Rhett Butler."

"Are you going to try to peddle _Gone with the Wind_ to me?"

Macey bumped me. "Um…Cammie, now might be the time to _not_."

I ignored her. "No, really," I said, "have you ever read anything longer than an article in a _Penthouse_ magazine?"

Macey smacked herself on the forehead and turned away.

"There are articles in _Penthouse_?" Zach asked.

I snorted and turned away. I had standards, and if he thought that calling me darlin' and talking about Rhett Butler would make me fall all over myself to be another one of his groupies, he was sadly mistaken. I started walking back to the bar. I needed to get rid of this drink and then get out of here. I was over this scene and wanted to get back to my life.

"Hey, where are you going?" Zach asked.

He tailed me as I walked to the bar.

I groaned. "Why are you following me?"

"Mouthy little thing, aren't you?"

"Okay," I said, stopping and turning to him. "Let's get this straight. I am not your darlin' or babe or little thing. My name is Cammie, and usually when a girl walks away from you, you should get the hint and leave her alone."

"I'm not good with hints."

Zach's smirk turned into a full-blown smile. The arrogance was still there, but what was underneath made me pause. The smile was genuine, not contrived like his smirk. I'd actually amused him, and he'd reacted in a way that showed me that not many people did. His eyes lightened, and the gold ring around his pupil was more prominent. There was an openness, a vulnerability, in his expression as he dropped some of the playboy look that I was sure he didn't actually want people to see. It kind of took my breath away.

He took the few steps to clear the distance between us, and I retreated, my back pressing into the bar. I placed my beer down and tried to avert my gaze from his face, but it was a struggle with him staring at me so intently.

"So, how about you ditch the hints and just admit that you're interested in me?" Zach asked matter-of-factly.

I opened my mouth to slap a retort back into his face, but for once in my existence, I had no idea how to respond. Most people weren't as blunt as I was, and no one came up to bat when I was on the defensive. He was using my own techniques against me, and I was finding it hard to look away from those big green eyes ringed with gold. I felt like he'd blown my carefully constructed world into tiny pieces.

"Aw, come on, princess. Word's failing you?" He dragged his hand gently down my jawline.

I brought my own up and forcefully brushed it aside. "I'm not a princess. My name is Cammie. We've covered this. Keep up."

He leaned forward, and I watched as he put his beer down to the right of my glass. His face was only inches from mine, and I could practically taste the alcohol on his breath. I should have been disgusted, but it kind of smelled good on him.

I had no idea who the person was thinking these traitorous thoughts. I was not attracted to someone like _Zach Goode_.

"All right, Cammie it is." He drawled my name across his tongue, like he was experimenting with the taste of it.

"Are you always this forward with someone you just met?"

"Only women."

"How flattering," I muttered sarcastically.

"Isn't it? I could have picked any girl in the room, but I'm here talking to you."

Zach had said that as if I was supposed to appreciate the fact that he had just openly admitted to being willing to sleep with any of these other girls, but lucky me, I was the winner for the night.

 _Um…no thank you._

"Wow. I get the princess reference now. I feel like a Disney princess who Gaston chose instead of whoring himself out to the rest of the town," I said, crossing my arms.

There was that goddamn smile again. He needed to cut that out.

"Belle wasn't a princess," Zach corrected me.

"Another thing we have in common."

"I'm going to kiss you now."

His hands tangled loosely in my blonde hair before I could even get a response out.

His lips were soft and tender, but they had a certain authority to them that I had never experienced. It was like being led through a waltz. We were both dancing, but he had absolute control of the situation. I found myself wanting to kiss him back.

 _No, I_ am _kissing him back._

And just as I felt my entire body practically quiver with desire, he slowly released me, his lips lingering oh-so invitingly in front of me.

As soon as I opened my dark blue eyes again, my body straightened, and I snapped out of my trance. _Oh, he's good. He's really, really good._ But if he was going to be total douche bag and then think he could kiss his way out of anything, he had another thing coming.

"So, are we getting out of here then?" Zach asked.

"Yeah," I said, plastering on a fake smile. I reached for the drinks on the bar and handed him my drink—the same one that had been spiked. "Finish our drinks, and then we'll head out?" I even giggled for added effect.

I raised the bottle in my hand to cheers, and then I watched as he chugged his drink.

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

When I woke up, my head felt like it had been split open. _What the fuck had I drunk last night?_ I couldn't even remember, and I always did. I might not have a knack for names or faces, but alcohol and I were old friends. I must have gone way over my personal limit.

Then, something came back to me—a flash of blonde hair…a pair of dark blue eyes…a giggle.

I reached over to check out who was in bed next to me. I didn't think I'd taken someone home, but if all I could remember when waking up was a chick, it was a pretty safe bet that she was in my bed.

The girl rolled over and smiled at me, and I had absolutely no recollection of who she was.

 _Brown hair, brown eyes. No, this couldn't be the same person. Then, who is the girl from last night?_ I'd kissed her. I'd tasted her. She'd been mine for the taking. And if I remembered her so vividly, then why the hell hadn't I brought her home with me last night?

I swung my legs over the bed and stood. I was going to find out.

"Hey, where are you going?" the chick asked. "Aren't you interested in round three?"

 _Round three? Shit, had we done it twice?_

"Not interested. Find your own way out," I said, throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt.

"Zach! We had such a great time last night."

"I don't even remember it." My dog tags swung around my neck as I surged out of my room.

I probably shouldn't have left a crazy bitch unattended in my bedroom, but I didn't have anything of value in there.

I barreled down the stairs and banged on Grant's door until he answered. Sweat pooled on his brow. He must've already started his morning workout.

"What's up, bro?"

"What the fuck happened last night?"

Grant scratched his head and looked at me like I was out of my mind. "We played a show at the League. What do you mean, what happened?"

"I know that, dipshit. I remember the show, but everything else is fuzzy. I have some chick in my bed, but all I remember is another girl."

"Whoa! Is my main man _pining_ over a girl?"

"I don't even know who the girl is, Grant. You can't pine after someone you don't know. I just want to know what the hell happened. I remember one blonde chick, but I have another dumb brunette in my bed."

Grant laughed in my face. "Blonde chick, huh? That's real specific."

"Fuck you, man. I'm going to see if Jonas or Aaron will be more helpful than your ass."

I slammed my palm down on the door frame, then turned and walked toward the front door just as the chick from upstairs stopped on the landing.

"Why aren't you out of my house yet?" I demanded.

The girl glared at me. "Aren't you at least going to give me a ride back to campus?"

"Fucking walk home for all I care."

"You know, I didn't believe my friend when she said you treated girls like dirt after sleeping with them, but damn, she was right."

I shrugged, and she started to walk out.

Then I had an idea. "Hey!"

"Yeah?" She turned and batted her eyelashes at me.

Even after I had just been a total dick to her, she was still interested. _Why would I act any other way?_

"Do you remember me talking to a blonde chick last night?"

"Oh my fucking God, Zach," she cried, throwing her hands in the air. "You are at an all-time low. If you weren't amazing in bed—"

"Yeah, but I am. So, do you remember?"

"There were a ton of blonde girls at the bar last night, and even if I cared to remember, I don't." She started typing on her phone as she stormed away.

 _Useless._

"Bro, you're acting crazy," Grant said. He was standing in the living room with his arms crossed over his bare chest.

"I don't remember anything but this girl."

Grant looked at me like he thought I was losing it, but he filled me in nonetheless. "We walked offstage and drank some beers. You started making out with these two chicks, but I interrupted. I spiked some girl's drink, and you were going to find out if she had a boyfriend. Since you're a fucking piece of shit, you decided to snag her from me after I'd done all the dirty work. But don't worry, bro. I found another chick who wanted me last night."

I didn't care about Grant's conquest. I just wanted to know about the girl. "So, what happened with the blonde chick?"

"I think she bailed with her friends, and then you left with that other chick."

It hit me like a two-by-four to the chest—blonde, dark blue eyes, mouthy spitfire. Cammie—that was her name. She'd been playing hard to get. I'd known off the bat that she hadn't taken a sip of Grant's drink. And she had been fucking hot under that prim-and-proper attitude. Then, after I'd kissed her, she must have given me the drink Grant had dosed.

 _What the fuck?_

"Do you remember now?"

"Yeah." I felt like an idiot, and it was an emotion I wasn't used to. No way was I going to let Grant know that chick had gotten the better of me. I'd never hear the end of it.

"Maybe try a new kind of weed or lay off the heavy liquor. You're freaking me out." Grant started walking back to his room, probably to do another hundred pushups or something.

I couldn't get Cammie out of my mind. _Why had she given me that beer? What kind of girl would go to such extremes to get rid of me?_ I wanted to find out.

"Hey, Grant. That girl you dosed—you said you knew her friend, right?"

"Her roommate, Bex," Grant offered. "Yeah, I know her. Why?"

"You got her number?"

Grant shrugged. "Yeah."

"I need it."

"You want to bang her? Because I'm already moving in on that," Grant told me.

"Keep her. I want the roommate."

* * *

 **Some Zammie for you all, as promised (:**

 **Let me know what you think! The story will pick up here shortly, but for now, just enjoy Cammie's smartass and Zach's inability to shake her lol.**


	3. Chapter 3

**To everyone who reviewed the last chapter, thank you _so_ much! Reading everyone's thoughts and praises really made me want to get this chapter up as quickly as possible (: And another big thanks to everyone following/favoriting this story. Knowing there are readers out there excited for what's to come makes me excited to write it lol.**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

Liz rubbed her eyes as she walked into the kitchen. Her blonde bob was slightly askew from sleep and she looked a bit out of it. "What are you doing up so early?" she asked softly.

"Going over my calculus assignment." I'd completed it two days ago, but I'd woken up in the middle of the night, realizing I'd done something wrong.

She nodded and then went about pouring herself some cereal before collapsing into a chair. A minute later, Bex appeared with her face void of any makeup and her dark hair clean from the big curls she'd had last night. She sank into the chair next to me and fixed me with a direct stare.

"Do you need something?" I asked, glancing up from my homework.

"Will you _please_ tell me what happened last night? I _have_ to know. I'm honestly dying on the inside. I could hardly sleep," she said dramatically. "Imagine failing a chemistry test."

"I can't imagine that."

"Exactly. That's how terrible I feel because you're keeping this from me. I _have_ to know." Her brown eyes were wide as she reached out and grabbed my hands in hers. She was acting like this really _was_ life or death.

I just rolled my eyes.

"Leave her alone, Bex," Liz peeped. "Her boyfriend just broke up with her, and she had to deal with whatever happened with Zach. Can't you cut her some slack?"

"But it's Zach Goode!" Bex cried.

Liz shrugged her petite shoulder and returned her gaze to her cereal.

"So spill," Bex said.

I set my pencil down on my paper with a thwack. "If you want to find out what happened, ask Zach…if he even remembers."

"What does that mean?"

I cracked up laughing and then immediately covered my mouth with my hand. I shouldn't have taken so much enjoyment from watching Zach drink that beer, but I had. _Let the asshole get a dose of his own medicine for a change._

"Oh no, I know that look," Bex groaned. "What did you do?"

"Some guy slipped something in my drink last night."

"What?" Bex asked in shock. "You saw him do it? Who was it?"

"I don't know. He was beefy with blonde hair, and his shirt was too tight. I think you were talking to him at some point."

"You mean Grant? The guitar player in BlackThorne?" she asked in disbelief.

"Sure."

"Bastard!"

"Anyway, Zach propositioned me, and then when I said no, he wouldn't leave me alone. So, I gave him my glass instead of his. He probably doesn't remember any of it."

My friends' mouths dropped open. Maybe I should have felt remorse for what I'd done, but I didn't.

"You drugged Zach Goode?" Liz asked from where she sat.

"I'm sorry. I didn't hear you correctly," Bex said.

"Yeah. He deserved it."

"Okay, that's pretty ridiculous," Bex said. "Zach propositioned you, and you said _no_?"

 _Of course, that's why she's freaking out. Typical._ "What did you _think_ I would say, Bex?"

"Still processing here. You could have lost your virginity to Zach Goode, and you didn't? I kind of want my virginity back, so I can lose it to him!"

I couldn't resist laughing at Bex. I loved her to pieces, but she was totally outrageous.

"Why did you say no? I mean, we all saw you kiss him. I just figured he changed his mind after he found out how blunt you were or maybe he thought you sucked at kissing."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Bex."

"You don't need to know why," Liz said, smacking Bex's arm.

"Yes, I do." Her phone started buzzing in her purse. She held up a finger to me and then answered it. "Hey, Grant."

That sounded like my cue to leave. I packed up the rest of my homework and started carefully placing it into my messenger bag.

"Sure, I don't mind talking to Zach at all."

I slung my bag over my shoulder to leave, and Bex just shook her head. She pointed her finger at the chair.

 _Yeah, like_ that _is going to keep me in the room._

"Hey, Zach."

Bex listened into the phone for a few seconds. A smile grew on her face. I could only guess the sweet nothings he was whispering into her ear.

"Oh, Cammie?" Bex said into the phone.

I had only made it halfway across the room when I stopped dead in my tracks.

"Yes, she's right here."

I turned around and fiercely shook my head. "I'm not here," I told her, signaling for her to tell Zach that I was away or incapacitated or dead. _Anything!_

"Yeah, let me get her for you." Bex stormed across the room and grabbed my wrist as I tried to retreat. "Just talk to him."

"No. I talked to him last night. I'm not doing it again."

She thrust the phone into my hand. "He's a nice guy, Cammie, and he's gorgeous, plays guitar, fucks like a god…Talk to him on the bloody phone or we're no longer friends."

"What a threat," I said sarcastically. "Plus, nice guy? Really?"

Bex fixed me with a death glare.

" _Fine_ ," I groaned, taking the phone. I took a breath before speaking. "Hello?"

"Hey, darlin'," Zach drawled.

I rolled my eyes and sighed. "I really thought we covered this whole darlin' thing last night. It's not going to work."

"Work on what?"

"I assume it works on the other women you attempt to seduce."

"Attempt?" he asked with a chuckle. "Baby, give me some credit."

 _Ugh, baby. Seriously get over yourself._ "Were you calling for a reason?"

"Several."

"Well?"

"I guess I'll start with why you drugged me?"

Zach just laid it out there. _Who calls the girl who drugged you the night before? This isn't Cinderella. I didn't lose my glass slipper._

"Because you deserved it," I answered.

"What did I do to deserve it?"

"Besides treating me like a whore?"

Zach laughed at my comment, but I wasn't sure why it was funny. He had treated me like a whore, which was basically the opposite of the kind of person I was.

"What are you doing tonight?"

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn't going to play this game. "Curing cancer. What about you?"

"Taking you out," he answered, not missing a beat.

"That's strange because I just said I was busy."

"Busy out with me," he said smoothly.

"I appreciate the offer, Zach, but no." I hoped that I'd sounded firm, but this guy was so persistent. _Good Lord!_

Bex smacked me on the arm. I'd completely forgotten she was standing there.

"Are you out of your mind?" she hissed.

I shrugged my shoulders and turned away. I didn't want to hear her nonsense right now. I just wanted off the phone.

"Come on, princess. What do you have to lose?" Zach asked.

"My self-respect?" I said dryly.

"From one date?"

"My answer is no. Goodbye, Zach," I said, and then ended the call.

As I handed the phone back to a shell-shocked Bex, it started ringing again.

"Don't answer that."

"What just happened?" she asked.

"Zach asked me out, and I told him no."

This probably killed her, but not me. I had no interest in someone like Zach. I'd grown up in a wealthy suburb back in Nebraska. My father was the CEO of a prominent bank in the city. My entire family were Ivy alums. That was the kind of person I was supposed to bring home to my parents—not Zach Goode. Not even one date.

He didn't care about me or respect me. He just wanted to sleep with me.

It was Liz's turn to look astonished. "He asked you out?"

"Zach Goode does not ask people out!" Bex cried.

"Well, he just did."

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

I crossed my arms and leaned back against the pillar in front of the math building, which I'd tracked down after Cammie had hung up on me. _Fuck, I even called her back._ I didn't know if I was more pissed or intrigued. The combination was making me crazy.

 _When had I ever stalked out a chick's class to see her?_

 _Never._

But I wasn't leaving.

A stream of people exited the building, and at the back of the group was my target. She was as hot as I remembered—short with stick-straight natural blonde hair. Her nose was buried in a book, and her lips moved as she read the words while she absentmindedly picked at the top button of her cardigan.

I took a step toward her right when some other guy walked up to her. _Who the fuck is that? Her boyfriend?_ Well, that wasn't the biggest obstacle, but I thought I'd gotten that one out the way when I'd kissed her last night.

When he spoke to Cammie, her head popped up, and she snapped her book closed. They exchanged a few tense words, and she shook her head a lot, but he kept speaking and gesturing in short, sharp motions. Her frown deepened.

 _All right. Enough is enough._

I strolled across the small courtyard to the front doors where Cammie was standing. "This guy bothering you?" I asked.

They both turned to look at me. Cammie pursed her thin lips and hugged her textbook to her chest. The guy just looked irritated that they had been disturbed.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Cammie asked.

"You know this guy?"

"Josh, leave it alone."

"Yeah, Jimmy, leave her alone," I said with a chipper smile.

"Jimmy?" he retorted, clearly offended.

"Good Lord," Cammie sighed.

"Who is this guy, Cammie?" Josh demanded.

I stuck my hand out. "Zach Goode. Nice to meet you."

Josh stared down at my hand, but he apparently had the manners to shake it anyway. "Josh Abrams. How exactly do you know Cammie?"

"Oh, recent acquaintances." I winked at him because I couldn't resist poking at his jealousy.

"I don't have time for this. I'm going home," Cammie announced.

She turned to go, but Josh stopped her. "Cammie, wait, I really want to talk about last night."

"And I think I'm done talking about it."

"Last night?" I asked.

She didn't seem like the type to bed-hop. She was clearly a bit uptight. I needed to shrug her out of that cardigan because there was only one thing I liked tight about my women.

"I don't want to talk about last night with _either_ of you!" she snapped and started storming across the courtyard I'd just crossed.

"Cammie, were you with this guy last night?" Josh asked, grabbing on to her wrist.

"Yes," she spat, snatching her hand back. "And why should it matter to you, Josh? You broke up with me. You claimed you wanted to be friends, but I don't think any of my _friends_ would act like a jealous ex-boyfriend if they found out I'd been with someone else last night. In fact, they're all encouraging me."

I cracked up, and Cammie sent me another stern glare. Her eyes dropped to my mouth for a fraction of a second, and something in her softened.

Josh drew her attention again. "Fine. I thought I'd made a mistake, but if you're already hanging out with someone else, then I guess I didn't."

Her eyes turned a stony dark blue, like the sky before the middle of a hurricane. She looked fucking fierce, and it was turning me on.

"I guess you didn't," she agreed.

I jogged lightly alongside her as we left Jimmy behind. "Ex problems?"

She held her book tighter against her chest and blatantly ignored me.

"So, after your phone died earlier today, you didn't call me back."

Cammie rolled her eyes and picked up her pace, carrying us out across an open field.

"Do you need my number for next time?"

She humphed and kept walking.

 _Jesus, what is with this chick?_ "You don't take jokes very well, do you?"

"Excuse me, but did I lose a glass slipper or something?"

"What?"

"A glass slipper. Do I look like Cinderella to you? Are you some kind of prince trying to sweep me off my feet? What is this whole charade, Zach?"

"No, charade, babe. I just wanted to see you and take you out."

"Uh-huh. Where exactly are you taking me?"

I smiled at her. "Dinner." _My bed._

"Why do I get the feeling we're not talking about eating the same thing?"

I chuckled to myself. She had me there. "Oh, come on. I didn't even say that." Though, if I had it my way, I'd be doing more than that tonight.

"You didn't have to," she called over her shoulder.

I caught up to her again and started walking backward in front of her. I was probably making a spectacle of myself, but I didn't really care. She didn't even seem to notice that people were staring at us.

"Look, I really do want to take you out, and I _was_ talking about eating food with you."

"No. And anyway, how did you know where to find me? Are you stalking me now? Should I invest in a rape whistle?"

"No, but you can blow my whistle."

"Oh, dear Lord."

She tried to push me aside to continue walking, but I circled her wrist and pulled her back toward me. Her hand landed on my chest, and she lightly tugged on the dog tags there as she tried to regain her balance.

"All joking aside, I want to go out with you. Why won't you go out with me?"

"Because I don't _want_ to," she snapped defiantly, taking a step back.

"What can I do to change your mind?"

"Enroll at Gallagher, get a higher IQ, stop having sex with the entire school," she ticked off on her fingers. "Oh, and be someone else—someone who cares about his future, his career, and not just some stupid band."

I leaned forward into her until our noses were almost touching. "For someone who doesn't even know me, you're incredibly judgmental."

The hiccup in her breathing was the only thing that gave away her racing heart. Her eyes were fiery as if my words only fueled her, and saying no was her challenge as much as getting her to say yes was mine.

"It's hardly judgmental when everything I said was true."

"Just give me a chance," I whispered, releasing her wrist and snaking my hand down to her waist.

She was skinny but soft everywhere I was touching her. She had smooth skin with just enough extra padding, and she wasn't too muscular. I trailed my hand down lower and landed on the curve of her hips.

 _Damn, I'm getting turned on again._

Her pupils were dilated as she stepped away from my touch. Whatever had just torn through me, she was feeling it, too. If she said she wasn't then was a fucking liar. She wanted me, and I was going to give her what she wanted.

"You have a million other girls dying to fall into your bed. Give that chance to someone else."

"I'm giving it to you."

"Then you're only going to be disappointed, so just leave me alone."

She scurried away, and this time, I let her. I glanced around and saw just how many people had been staring.

"Nothing to see here, people," I called out to the crowd.

Everyone's eyes shot back to whatever they had been doing before and left me to stand in the middle of the field, looking out after Cammie.

 _What the hell am I going to do now?_

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

My hands were shaking as I dashed across the open quad. People were staring at me from all directions. I _hated_ the spotlight. I was supposed to be invisible. I was supposed to get high marks in all my classes, graduate at the top of my class, and then start my career as a lab researcher. My parents expected me to eventually meet the right kind of guy—someone confident, ambitious, an Ivy alum preferably. These things were important to me. I couldn't forget that the next time I was trapped in Zach Goode's heated gaze. Better yet, he just needed to leave me alone.

When I made it to the chemistry building, I plopped down into the first available seat in the lecture hall, and I placed my hands flat on the desk to keep them steady. _What is wrong with me?_ I'd never acted like this before.

Bex's words rang in my ears. _Zach Goode does not ask people out._

 _That had to be an exaggeration, right? Because he had just asked me out_ again.

"Cammie," Tina said in welcome. With a big smile, she took the seat next to me. "I just saw you with Zach Goode on the quad!"

"Oh," I said softly. "How do you know Zach?"

"BlackThorne, duh! Like, everyone knows who Zach is. If you don't follow the band, how do _you_ know Zach Goode?" she asked, her blue eyes wide.

I debated if I should just tell her that I didn't know Zach, but she would probably want more details if I gave her that kind of answer. "My friends dragged me to that band's show last night after Josh broke up with me."

"Oh, I'm sorry. That really sucks," Tina said.

I hated sympathy, and I hated false sympathy even more. Tina and I coincided in the same group of mutual friends, but that didn't mean she knew me well enough to be this sorry about my breakup.

"It's for the better. It's not a big deal."

"I still can't believe you were yelling like that on the quad," Tina said.

 _Had we been yelling?_ "He was bothering me."

"He's gorgeous. He can bother me all he wants."

"I'd prefer that," I said dismissively.

"So…you have no interest in him at all?"

"Did I look like I did when I _walked away_?" I asked. I was getting irritated again. _Is everyone going to be in my business about this?_

"You guys looked like you were going to kiss."

"Well, we didn't."

"Okay, jeez. I was just asking," she said, pulling up her laptop.

At that moment, the professor walked up to the front of the lecture hall and clapped his hands, announcing that class would be starting.

I tried to push aside the events that had transpired. I'd gotten rid of Zach Goode. That was all that mattered. People would forget about our encounter on the quad. Everything would go back to normal.

I reached into my bag and pulled out my chemistry assignment. I passed it over to Tina for the TA to collect.

"Hey, darlin'," I'd heard as I ducked my head under the table.

My head snapped back up and smacked into the desk. "Shit," I cried, rubbing the back of my head. I saw Zach standing in the aisle and I nearly groaned. "What are you doing here?"

Zach smiled back at me broadly with his eyes wide and innocent. I knew that he was _anything_ but innocent. His eyes averted to Tina sitting next to me. Her mouth was hanging open.

"Babe, you mind relocating? I'd like your seat," he said, laying on the charm thick.

"Um…sure," Tina said breathlessly. She picked up her laptop and started shuffling her papers together.

"Is there a problem back there?" the professor asked.

"We're just getting our seats situated, sir," Zach spoke up confidently.

"Well, get situated quickly. I have a class to teach."

"Yes, sir."

Tina stared back at me in disbelief before scurrying to a seat across the aisle. I didn't even know what to say as Zach slid effortlessly into the vacated chair. He slunk back and tossed his arm across the back of my seat. Some of his dark hair fell forward across his forehead, and he wore his sexy smirk like a god.

"What are you doing here?" I hissed as the professor started teaching again.

"You told me to enroll at Gallagher. I'm not bad at chemistry, but I thought I'd sharpen up."

"Zach, seriously, this isn't a game."

"No, princess, it's not. Now, shh…you're interfering with my learning experience."

"Interfering?" I managed to gasp out.

"Shh…" he said, pressing his finger to his lips and looking at me with his peripheral vision.

I snapped my mouth shut and tried to focus on the class, but my mind wasn't in it. I was too busy trying to figure out Zach's motive. I wouldn't suddenly go on a date with him because he stalked me to my chemistry class.

Partway through the lecture, Zach's hand slid from my chair and landed on my thigh. I swatted at him, and he moved it away, only to replace it a minute later.

"Ever heard of sexual harassment?" I growled at him.

"Nope."

"You should look into it," I said, pushing his hand away again.

He turned to face me and his gaze felt hot on my face. I tried to focus on the professor.

"Go out with me."

"No," I groaned. "Find someone else, and leave me alone."

"I don't want anyone else. I want you."

"Tough shit! You don't always get what you want."

"Fine. Just come to my show in the city this weekend."

"If I won't see you here, why would I drive to Richmond to see you?" I demanded.

"Just go out with me. Anywhere. Dinner, the city, coffee. I'll fucking sit out on the quad with you, and we can let people stare at us again. Just give me a chance."

"Why?"

What I wanted to ask—but was actually holding back for the first time in my life—was, _Why me?_ I wasn't some slutty sexpot. Even if we went out, I wasn't going to give him what he wanted. I understood that I had said no and that made me appealing to him in some way, but it wasn't enough to justify all this.

"Because I know what I want."

"You don't even know me."

"I know I want you."

"And that's enough?" I asked desperately.

"For me."

We were staring at each other so intently that I hadn't even noticed the professor had walked up the aisle to stand in front of my desk.

"Since you two seem unable to contain your conversation, perhaps you should continue it outside."

My mouth fell open. "I'm so sorry. We'll be quiet."

"Sir, it was my fault," Zach said, taking the fall.

That surprised me a bit.

"I don't care whose fault it is. I expect you to pack up your things and leave. Return when you will not disturb the class," he said before turning and walking back to the front of the room.

I grabbed my things and rushed out in shame. I had been kicked out of class. I couldn't believe it. By the time I exited the room, I was fuming.

Zach followed behind me a minute later. "Cammie, I'm so sorry."

"You got me kicked out of class!" I yelled at him.

"I know. I'm really sorry. I didn't think—"

"That's right! You didn't think. You have _no_ idea what this means to me or how this could affect me. All you care about is your stupid game. Newsflash, Zach—I'm not going to sleep with you!" I screamed in his face. "I've known you for less than twenty-four hours and you're already messing up my life. So, do me a favor, and just get out of it!"

And with that, I walked away from Zach for good.

* * *

 **Well...Cammie's not happy lol. But obviously, this is a Zammie story, so she didn't _actually_ walk away from Zach for good. With that said, I've got a question for you all: Who do you think will break first and seek out the other? Is Cammie more interested than she pretends to be and will be intrigued enough to talk to him again, or will Zach not be able to shake this minor obsession he has with her and stalk her out once more? I guess we'll have to wait and see...;P**

 **Reviews, favorites, and follows are always appreciated! They make my day (:**


	4. Chapter 4

**A big thank you to everyone who's reviewed! I love reading how excited you get and how invested my readers are.**

 **Along with some plot developments, h** **ere's some major Zammie for you all (: Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **{**_ _ **Zach}**_

I simply stood there, letting Cammie lay into me like I was no better than the scum on the bottom of her shoe.

In all honesty, I probably wasn't, not compared to someone like her. She seemed like a package deal—smart, really fucking smart, hot and feisty. _Why the hell would she want to go out with a guy like me anyway?_

And that should have made me back off. It should have made me want the next easy chick I stumbled across. But it didn't. As she rambled on about my utter douchiness, all I could think about was how I could fix this. So, I let her walk away. I was already going to be late for rehearsal, and if I were late one more time, Jonas would have my ass.

Arriving just on time, I hopped out of my lifted dark blue F-150 and strolled into the garage I had renovated for rehearsals back when I'd first bought the house.

"Bro, where have you been all morning?" Grant asked.

"With your mother."

"Fuck off!" he yelled back at me.

I sauntered over to my guitar and picked it up from its stand. It was a cherry red Gibson SG that I loved more than anything else on the planet.

"Seriously though, Zach," Jonas started his best reprimand, "can't you ever manage to be on time? You'd think a label scout coming to our show tomorrow night would get you to be more serious about rehearsals."

"Jonas, chill the fuck out. I'm serious about rehearsals, okay?"

"Then can we fucking get started?" Aaron asked, leaning back against the wall and balancing precariously on two legs of his stool as he flipped a drumstick between his fingers.

"Yeah. Are we playing 'Hemorrhage'?" I asked.

Aaron started the beat to our lead song, and we all followed.

* * *

The words were spilling out of my mouth. My hands were flying across my baby as I coaxed the chords and rhythms out of it. My body was super heated from the bright lights on the stage, and sweat collected on my brow and the back of my plain black V-cut T-shirt. My dog tags hung loose around my neck, moving in time with me.

Aaron was shirtless and fully tatted with his hair swinging as he slammed the sticks down on the drums in front of him. Jonas's bass beats were thumping into my body. He looked completely unfazed in his crisp jeans and polo as the heat intensified through the set. Grant's shirt was a size too small, and somehow he was flexing as he played his shiny black guitar next to me.

We were killing it tonight. Most nights, I'd felt like we were in sync, but nothing could compare to tonight. It was a Saturday night in September, and the dive bar in Richmond where Jonas had gotten us a show already looked like they were breaking the fire code with how many swaying, drunken bodies were crammed into the small space.

A blonde chick was standing in the front row in the lowest cut shirt I'd ever seen. Her chest was practically on display as she danced and jumped to our music. She hadn't looked away from me for one second the entire set, and I was sure we'd be together in the restroom before I even knew her name.

As I finished off our last song, the light panned across the room, and the crowd cheered to a deafening volume. Performing was an adrenaline rush unlike anything else. I felt perfectly in control and in my element.

"We're BlackThorne. Thanks for coming out," I called out to the crowd before swinging my guitar onto my back and exiting the stage.

The venue actually had a backstage, unlike The Ivy League, and the other bands were lounging on couches and chatting with fans. Aaron immediately made friends with the dudes who had gone on first, and Grant was already fondling a chick near the stage door.

Jonas shrugged. "Feels weird, not being bombarded."

"We would be if we took one step out that door." I pulled a joint from my pocket and lit it up. I didn't typically smoke in public, but who the hell was watching?

"You going for the blonde in the front row?" Jonas asked intuitively.

The guy was sharp. He always picked up on the moods of the guys, and he was able to keep us cohesive.

"We'll see."

About ten minutes later, the next band started their set, and a wave of girls ran backstage. A crowd was forming for us, and Blondie was at the lead.

"Hey, sexy," she said, walking right up to me and running her hand down my dog tags.

"Hey, darlin'."

"I _loved_ your show." She stuck her chest out and pressed against me, emphasizing how much she would enjoy an after show.

"Thanks, babe. This your first BlackThorne show?"

"Mhm…I sure hope it's not my last."

I smiled down at her in a way that I'd heard melted panties and nodded my head toward the back room. She arched an eyebrow and winked. All the confirmation I needed.

"Hey, Bex, you made it," Grant called out next to me.

My head snapped to the side, my conversation with Blondie completely forgotten. _Bex? As is, Cammie's roommate? Is she here?_ She might have been pissed with me, but maybe her friends had dragged her along. It was wishful thinking maybe, but I had to know.

"Will you just give me a minute?"

She pouted with her gloss-coated full lips. For a second, I envisioned the mess that would make, and I shuddered. Blondie had a nice rack, but she needed to take that shit off.

"Come on, baby," Blondie purred.

"Just one minute." I held up a finger, pulled myself from her grasp, and walked over to where Grant was standing with a tall, dark chick.

I looked around, but I didn't see a short blonde in a cardigan. Maybe she was hidden behind the mass of people who had just come backstage. "Bex," I said in greeting.

"Oh, Zach, hey," she said, smiling warily at me.

Not the reaction I was used to. I wondered if Cammie had told her what happened or if gossip had traveled to her.

"Bro!" Grant said, trying to nudge me out.

He still didn't realize that I had no interest in the girl in front of me.

"Hey, is Cammie with you tonight?"

"Cammie? Ummm…" Bex glanced back at the two girls standing behind her.

One of them, stunning with raven hair, shook her head and her eyes bulged slightly. _All right, so they're going to play it like this._

"She's not with us," the other girl with a blonde bob said so softly.

"Oh, she didn't show?" I couldn't hide my disappointment. _How the hell am I going to get to this girl?_

"We tried to get her to come, Zach," Bex spoke up.

The raven-haired chick smacked her.

"What, Macey? We did! Nothing wrong in telling him."

"She's not interested in him," Macey whispered.

"She's an idiot for not being—"

"Ladies, it's fine," I said, shutting them up.

Blondie was making her way over to me, and she had a scowl on her face that did nothing for her. After just talking about Cammie, the thought of banging Blondie in the restroom stall didn't sound that appealing. _Who the fuck am I?_

"Guys," Jonas said. He had a huge smile plastered on his face. "The scout wants to talk to us."

"What? Really?" Grant asked.

"Scout?" Bex asked curiously.

"A label scout," Grant told her. "We're gonna get fucking signed. We're gonna be fucking famous!"

"Grant, keep it down," Jonas said, punching him on the arm.

"Sorry, girls," Grant said. He leaned forward and planted a bold kiss on Bex's lips. "Next time you see me, I'll have graduated to rock god."

Bex laughed and shook her head. _Yeah, she wants him._

I nodded at the girls and didn't even glance at Blondie before turning and following my brothers to where we would meet with the label scout. Anticipation buzzed through every inch of my body, and by the time we made it to a private back room, I was practically bouncing from the shot of adrenaline. This was my future right here, my boys' future. Our moment for fame was dangling before us on a string, and all we had to do was walk into this room and take it.

"Welcome, gentlemen," a guy in a black suit said.

With greasy short hair, a fake smile, and beady, observant eyes, he looked exactly how I'd pictured label scouts.

"Please, sit. You want beers or water or something?"

We all shook our heads.

"Okay. Well, I'm Frank Boseley with Bank Head Records. I'm glad that I was able to come out and hear you guys live. Look, I'll just cut to the chase, I'm not sure you're exactly what our label is looking for right now."

My stomach plummeted. The boys deflated around me. I knew that this was just the first of many rejections we would likely see in this industry, but we had _killed_ it tonight. _If a label didn't want us off of that performance, when would they want us?_

"Thanks for inviting me out. I wish you luck in your future."

Jonas, always the best of us, walked up and shook Frank's hand. Jonas handled the business side of the band, so he'd had the most contact with Frank. It must have hit him the hardest even though it was clear we all felt like someone had punched us in the gut.

"Thank you for the opportunity," Jonas said and then he turned back to us. "Come on, guys."

I stood in dismay and started to leave with my friends. I couldn't believe what had just gone down. My high was diminishing quickly, and I was going to need a drink and someone easy to get over this.

"Zach," Frank called, stopping me in my tracks. "My man, do you mind staying after for a minute?"

I glanced at the guys, who all looked as curious as I felt as to what the hell he wanted.

"Yeah, sure."

"Just close the door for a minute."

I nodded at the guys reassuringly before shutting the door. "What's up?"

Frank crossed his arms over his chest and smiled. "I know I said that the label isn't interested in BlackThorne, Zach, but that's only partially true."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused.

"They're not interested in BlackThorne. They're interested in you."

 _Oh. Motherfucker thought I was a sellout?_

"The reason I'm here today is because of you. We're looking for a front man. Solo acts are selling right now, Zach, and I'm offering you the opportunity of a lifetime to sign with Bank Head Records."

"What about the other guys?"

"Fuck the other guys. You don't need them. You carry that band. You're the _it_ factor, and you're the reason fans come to watch. The screaming crowd was for you, my man. People were cramming into this bar for you. You're filling a dive bar, and we'll fill arenas together."

I laughed and scratched the back of my head. _Arenas. Shit._

"So, what do you say, Zach? You with us?"

"What do I say?" I said. I looked straight into his beady eyes and told him exactly what I thought. "No. I'm going to have to say no."

"No?" he asked in shock. "You have no idea what you're missing out on."

"You're a fucking piece of shit if you think I'll ditch my brothers for you. I'm not a sellout. If I'm filling arenas, then it's happening with my boys behind me. Without them, this business isn't worth the headache of dealing with people like you."

I stormed out of that room like someone had lit a fire under my ass. I pushed past the guys and ignored their questions. They could see the murderous look on my face, but I didn't have it in me to tell them the audacity that prick had.

Blondie was waiting for me as well, but I wasn't in the mood for that bullshit tonight. I'd barely been in the mood for it before Frank Boseley.

Now, I was only in the mood for one thing.

I barreled toward Bex and her roommates with determination. She looked up at me as soon as I was close enough, and I practically growled, ready to finally take what I wanted.

"Where do you live?"

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

I was _not_ sulking just because my roommates had all gone to the BlackThorne show in the city and left me behind. I hadn't wanted to go, and I certainly hadn't wanted to see Zach Goode.

But I couldn't concentrate on my homework, and for the first time ever, I felt a bit silly for doing homework on a Saturday night. My shoulders ached from hunching over my desk all day. I rolled them back a few times and closed my book. I might as well try to get some sleep.

As I was about to change into something more comfortable, a knock on the door stopped me short. I hoped it wasn't my drug-dealer neighbors. The last time they had stopped by, they had asked if they could stash their weed in our house until the cops passed through, and then they'd had the nerve to be angry when I'd refused.

I looked through the peephole in my door to see who it was, and my eyes widened in shock. Zach Goode was standing on my front porch. I flattened myself against the door and took a few heaving breaths. I didn't care that I had been thinking about him all night—or day, for that matter. I couldn't answer the door.

"Cammie!" Zach called, banging on the door again. "I know you're in there. Bex said you would be home."

 _Bex, that traitor!_

"Cammie! Are you there?"

I sighed heavily. It sounded like he was prepared to stand out there all night. Not that it would really bother me, but I did want to get some sleep. Just as he started attacking the door again, I pulled it open with a scowl. "What do you want, Zach?"

"Can I come in?"

"To my house?" I asked incredulously.

"Where else would I _come_ , babe?" He arched an eyebrow, and the first hint of a smirk crossed his face.

 _Is everything sexual with him? Yes._

"No, you can't come in. Aren't you supposed to be in Richmond?"

"You're not in Richmond," he said plainly.

"How observant. Didn't you have a show?" I was stalling, and he could tell. He took a step toward me. I stood my ground, which took real effort because of his nearness.

"I finished my show," he growled. "Now, can I come in?"

 _Jesus, what is up with him?_ He seemed even more...primal than normal.

"I already told you no."

"I drove all the way from the city to see you. Doesn't that count for something?"

"Not sure what you want it to count for. I thought I made myself perfectly clear after you got me kicked out of class yesterday."

"So, you won't let me in then?" He hovered mere inches away from me.

"Jesus, Zach, how many times do I have to say it? No, you can't come inside," I said irritably.

A smile crossed his face, the same one that had done me in the last time we'd been together. I could feel the tension crackling between us, like a struck match or a zap of static.

"Fine," he said.

Then, he grabbed me around the waist, yanked me outside, and dropped his mouth down onto mine hungrily. I lost myself in his lips. His hands ducked under my sweater, and his fingers dug into my soft flesh beneath. And without even realizing it, I was grasping his T-shirt for dear life and feeling the cold metal of his dog tags in my hands.

 _Holy shit!_ I'd never been kissed like this before. My whole body was on fire, and his lips were just fueling the flame. Burning desire snaked through me, starting in my fingertips, scorching through my chest, and settling in my core.

Zach walked me backward into my apartment and slammed the door shut. My back hit the wall, but our lips never broke apart. His hands ventured up my shirt, and I stopped breathing as he trailed his fingers lightly along my ribs. He skimmed the underside of my breast, and a groan escaped my lips. I squirmed against him, wanting what he was offering and silently freaking out.

"Zach," I groaned.

His mouth left mine, and he started kissing down my neck. My chest rose and fell heavily.

"Yeah, darlin'?"

"Darlin'?" I repeated mockingly.

He pulled back and stared down into my eyes. "Princess, Cammie, Gallagher Girl, whatever you want me to call you."

Bending slightly, he seized the backs of my thighs and hoisted them around his waist.

"What are you doing?" I cried in shock.

He started walking toward the living room without answering me.

"Zach, put me down!"

Once we were standing over the couch, he lowered me onto it and covered my body with his.

 _Oh my God, he is rock solid_. I could feel every inch of him as he lay there on top of me. He wasn't overly built, but he was all lean muscle, and the way his body was moving against mine was making me forget sense.

His lips found mine again, and then I felt his erection slide up against the thin material of my yoga pants. My mind immediately snapped back to earth, and I knew _exactly_ what he'd wanted when he laid me down on the couch.

"Zach, stop!" I said, pushing at his chest.

 _How had I let myself get this carried away?_ I never got carried away. His kisses had done things to me that I didn't understand. I'd completely lost myself…and I'd liked it. But as much as I'd liked it, I couldn't let it continue.

He groaned and pulled back to stare at me with his pleading green eyes. His body was still aligned with mine, and when I shifted, he gripped my hip tighter in his hand.

"Oh, come on. You want me."

I shook my head and swallowed. I didn't want _this_ even if I had gotten lost in his lips.

"You seriously want me to stop after you kissed me like that?"

At least I knew it had affected him, too. Actually, as I shifted out from under him to sit up, that became _very_ clear. "I didn't kiss you like anything."

"Bullshit!"

"Well, are you happy? You got what you wanted."

"I got a tenth of what I wanted, Gallagher Girl."

"A tenth is all you're going to get. Now, you should probably go," I told him.

" _Go?_ " His eyebrows shot up. "You're kicking me out after I just got permission to enter?"

"I didn't give you permission."

His hand ran down my jawline. "How many other people do you kiss like that when they ask to come inside?"

I swatted his hand away. "What are you really doing here, Zach? Besides the other nine-tenths that you want."

"I thought you would be at the show."

"I bet plenty of other girls were there, offering a lot more, that you didn't have to drive home to see."

"Would you prefer I was with them?" he asked.

He was waiting for me to contradict him, but that smile on his face held my tongue.

"You answer my questions with questions a lot."

Zach shrugged and glanced away. "Do you really want to know? I haven't even told the guys yet."

I hadn't expected him to actually answer when I asked, but now that it seemed like he was going to, I was even more curious. "Sure."

"We had a scout for a label come to the show tonight."

"That's good, right?" I asked uncertainly.

He scoffed. "It should have been. Fucking prick."

I tucked my legs up underneath me. "Did the scout not like your band?"

"He liked _me_ ," he said plainly.

He was fuming and trying desperately not to show it. I wondered how often he talked to people about the shit in his life because he seemed incredibly uncomfortable with it. I couldn't blame him though. It wasn't like I was particularly forthright about my own life.

"I'm not following."

He jumped out of his seat and stomped angrily across the room. He pushed the sleeves of his shirt up, and the muscles in his arms bulged. I noticed a tattoo peeking out of his shirt on his bicep, but I couldn't really see what it was.

"They wanted me but not the band. They offered to sign me if I left BlackThorne."

It sounded like a pretty shitty deal if he was as invested in the band as I assumed he was. "I'm guessing you didn't do it?"

"Do I look like a fucking sellout to you?"

I glared at him. "Don't yell at me. I was just asking."

"Sorry. I just…I'm not a fucking sellout."

"I never said you were." I crossed my arms and gritted my teeth. I had asked him one simple question, and he didn't have to be such an ass about it.

He mirrored me and crossed his arms. "The band isn't just a band. Those guys are my brothers. It would be like getting rid of family, and I'm not fucking doing that."

That was probably the nicest thing I'd ever heard come out of Zach's mouth, and we'd managed to have a semblance of a conversation without him making some dumb sexual reference.

"Then it sounds like you made the right choice. So, why are you so pissed about it?"

He shrugged and turned.

I stared at his profile. His jaw was strong and defined with stubble growing in. His lips were full, and his nose was angular. I could make out his high cheekbones and the intensity of his gaze. "Zach?" I prompted.

"I don't know how to explain it."

"Are you just going to stand there all night and try to figure it out?"

"I'd rather get back to my nine-tenths, princess," he said, walking back over to me and sitting down.

"I don't think so, Prince Charming."

He laughed at the nickname and leaned back casually on the couch. "Charming, huh?"

"Or maybe you're actually a frog."

"Does that mean I get to kiss you again?"

"I don't think so."

"You know, I think what irritates me is that I can't release my frustration. Are you sure you can't help with that?"

I rolled my eyes. _Nice try_. "Not a chance. You should probably go actually, so I can go to sleep."

"Want some company?" He stood and his fingertips circled my wrist, gently hoisting me up to my feet and drawing me toward him.

 _How did he do that so easily?_

"Um…no company."

Seeing that I wasn't going to change my mind, he grumbled under his breath. "All right."

He trudged across the room, and I followed him.

He reached for the door. "So, Gallagher Girl, can I see you again?"

I smiled despite myself. It still wasn't my name, but I kind of liked it.

"Do I have much of a choice?" I asked, knowing that it wasn't likely.

"No, not really."

"Relentless, aren't you?"

"Yes," he said, slipping my hand into his and pulling me into him.

I didn't even fight him this time.

He dipped his head and placed a kiss firmly on my lips. It wasn't the fiery passion and deliriousness of the last one, but this one was a promise. He was telling me that I would be seeing more of him whether I wanted to or not, and my answering kiss betrayed the fact that I wanted to.

* * *

 **So it looks like Zach had tracked her down after all lol. I mean, of course Cammie wouldn't go looking for him...she's too stubborn and too determined to not like him lol.**

 **Let me know what y'all think! I think this is my favorite chapter because we see how much Zach cares about his friends, and we get to see him act like something other than a douchebag player with Cammie, and it's kind of cute that he's trying so hard to get her attention (:**

 **Thanks again to everyone invested in my story! Hopefully I continue to entertain and never disappoint (:**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to all the readers and followers of this story! This chapter is a long one, but it's a good one (in my humble opinion lol).**

 **I haven't had a disclaimer in a while, so why not put one in...just to be on the safe side (:**

 **DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters nor do I own the storyline. They belong to Ally Carter and K.A. Linde, respectively.**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

It was official. Cammie fucked me up. The asshole at the record label be damned, Cammie was the one driving me mad. I'd kissed a lot of girls, and not a single one of them had I thought about longer than a fleeting moment. I'd say I didn't sleep with girls twice, but I couldn't remember them long enough to know if that were true.

 _So, why had I driven all the way from the city to see Cammie without the promise of some ass?_ In fact, I'd been certain she would turn me down. But something about her had made me want to try for it anyway. Maybe it had been the way she put up a fight, her reactions to me kissing and touching her, or her fucking bullshit banter.

 _And who is the wimp that had taken over my body when I opened up and told her about the band?_ Any other girl, I would have just screwed until I forgot about it, but no, not my Gallagher Girl. She wouldn't let me forget about it. She wouldn't even let me keep kissing her.

I'd thought that maybe since I told someone about what had happened with the label, it would be easier to tell my boys about what had gone down when I stayed behind. But it wasn't.

I walked into the garage for our regularly scheduled band rehearsal the next afternoon, and all the guys were sitting around on couches, not touching their instruments.

"Rehearsal is canceled. We're going to get beers," Aaron told me with a nod.

"All right," I said. "Want me to drive?"

Jonas shrugged as he walked past me and out of the garage, obviously pissed. But really, weren't we all? Last night hadn't gone down how any of us anticipated.

"That means, yes, dick," Grant said, punching me on the arm as he followed Jonas out.

"Are they going to hate on me all night?" I asked Aaron.

"It'll blow over, dude," he said sympathetically, and I followed them out to my truck.

I headed to a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant that we frequented in town and pulled my truck into the run-down parking lot. They had good food and cheap beer, which was all that mattered. We took our normal seats in the back of the restaurant and ordered a few pitchers.

"So, what happened last night?" Jonas asked, getting straight to the point.

"Yeah, you ran out of that place like some motherfucker was chasing you with a gun," Grant said.

I shrugged. "The label offered me a solo gig."

The guys nodded like they had been expecting that. They still looked pissed, and I couldn't blame them.

"I told him to fuck off and that I couldn't be in this business without my bros."

"I told you," Grant said, smacking Jonas upside the head.

"We all thought that, Grant," Aaron said. "It was just a shitty night for everyone, and then you just disappeared."

"Yeah. Where did you go?" Jonas asked.

"You know he went to get himself some ass," Grant piped up.

"Of course I did." _Or I tried to._

"No one knows Zach here like I do," Grant said. "Man needed some action. Nothing wrong with that."

Jonas and Aaron shook their heads at Grant just as the pitchers arrived.

"Anyway," Jonas said, already shrugging off the weight of my disappearance, "what do you guys want to do from here? We don't have a show for another two weeks. I haven't heard from another label. I was thinking we could take a breather. Just take some time off and regroup. In your case, Zach, fuck yourself out of disappointment."

Sounded about par for the course.

Cammie's dark blue eyes flashed before my eyes, and a small smile snuck onto my face. She was the only thing I wanted to be fucking over the next week. A streak of blonde hair, her groans as I'd touched her body, her lips making my whole body hard as a rock crossed my mind. I shook my head and tried to get her out of my thoughts. _What the hell is wrong with me?_

"I want to fuck myself out of disappointment," Grant said, "with that fucking Brit, Bex. You just know she has a bombshell of a body."

"So how long are we talking?" I asked, ignoring Grant's comment.

"A week?" Jonas offered.

A week sounded good. I needed to stop obsessing over Cammie, so maybe the next time I saw her, I wouldn't try to attack her.

"Cool. I think I'm going to call Sydney then and go visit her," I said.

Grant whistled. "Bring her back with you. I've never seen a nicer ass. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

I slammed him back into the booth and cut off his windpipe. "Pipe the fuck down, and remember who you're talking about."

Grant glared and pushed me off of him. "All right, bro! Fuck off! I'll stick with my British Bombshell."

"Yeah, you fucking will."

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

I'd made out with Zach Goode in my own house—willingly. _Who am I?_

Cameron Ann Morgan did _not_ get caught up in guys, let alone in a guy like Zach Goode. I was seriously going off the deep end. I was way too smart for all of this.

The girls had stayed in town with Liz's family and didn't get back until late Sunday night, when I had already been in bed. I'd made sure I was up and out of the house the next morning before anyone could talk to me. If Bex had told Zach that I was home Saturday night, then she must've known about him coming here, and I wasn't looking forward to her harassing me about what had happened.

When I couldn't avoid my roommates any longer, I finally returned home. Prepared for the worst, I tried to act like nothing was different, but Bex had decided to stake out the apartment. I passed by her on my way to my bedroom, and she jumped over the couch to block my path.

"Where have you been all day?"

"At school," I responded, trying to walk around her.

"Not with Zach?"

"Zach who?"

"Don't play coy with me! I need details! Zach asked me for our address, so he could come see you Saturday night. What happened?"

"You gave some random guy the address to our apartment?" I shook my head. "What if he came here to kill me?"

"So, he was here?" she squeaked.

Liz and Macey sheepishly walked out of their rooms, silently listening in case I delved into any dirty details.

"Okay, yes. He was here. He came, he saw, he conquered. Can we move on now?"

I tried to walk around her again, but she grabbed my arms and started jumping up and down.

" _Conquered?_ As in, you had sex with him?" Bex asked.

"Do you know me at all?" I asked, flabbergasted.

"Oh my god, don't spare us the details!" Macey all but shrieked.

I just stared at them in disbelief. They actually thought I'd gone through with it. _How could they think that I would give it up that easily?_ It wasn't like I was forty and had never had sex. I was only nineteen years old. What's the big deal? I hadn't been interested enough in any guy to give myself up, and since it hadn't happened yet, I just wasn't willing to let it all go so freely. I wanted there to be a reason to do it. I wanted to _want_ to do it. And all I'd ever felt was nervous, disgusted, and to be totally honest, scared.

But I wasn't about to tell them that. It was easier to deflect the conversation.

"Did _you_ hook up with that guy you were talking about?" I asked instead of answering Bex's question.

"No, but that's not the point. Zach Goode was in our house. He came here to see _you_!"

Macey stepped forward and tossed her black hair over her shoulder. "You know Bex is never going to let you do your homework until you tell her what happened."

 _And neither is she apparently. Fair point. Nice move, Mace._

"Zach came over and banged on the door until I answered. We kissed, we talked some, and then I made him leave." I left out the part about the record label, unsure if I was supposed to talk about it or not.

They all looked stunned.

"He just left?" Liz asked.

"Well, he asked to see me again, but yeah, he just left."

"Okay, you're, like, a Zach Goode virgin, so let me fill you in," Bex said.

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Aren't all of you Zach virgins?"

"We follow him around to his shows. We know him and how he operates," Macey explained.

"How he operates?"

"Zach can have whoever he wants. Yeah, he plays guitar and sings, but there's more than that. He has a presence onstage, and if you had paid attention the night we went, you'd understand."

"Okay," I dragged the word out.

"But he doesn't date, Cammie," Liz said.

"Right!" Bex cried. "He doesn't date. He doesn't just kiss a girl and leave unless he's not interested, and he must be interested because he's never left a show empty-handed until Saturday."

"Are you supposed to be endearing him to me? That sounds disgusting."

"Okay, maybe a little, but he drove over an hour to see you. After just a kiss, he asked to see you again and then left. Zach Goode is not acting like himself with you, Cammie."

"So?"

"So, are you going to see him again?" Macey asked earnestly.

"Everyone in Virginia might die if Zach starts dating," Liz commented.

"Look, I'm not dating Zach. If anything, you have all convinced me that I shouldn't see him anymore."

"But you want to," Bex said with a wink.

Maybe I did.

It was the strangest feeling in the world, but I kind of _did_ want to see Zach again. He hadn't been so bad once he actually stopped and talked to me about something other than getting in my pants. _And that kiss_.

I shivered slightly at the thought of it. Kisses like that made me lose touch with reality, and I knew that if I saw Zach again…I wasn't going to stop him from kissing me.

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

Luckily, no one had questioned my motives for driving back to Roseville to get ass when plenty of women who'd been more than willing were at the venue in Richmond. I'd never been happier for my manwhore title than at that moment.

But the only way that I could escape a repeat appearance at her place had been to get the fuck out of Virginia, so I'd packed my shit and gotten the hell out of there. On the thirteen-and-a-half hour drive to Maine to visit Sydney, I'd done nothing but convince myself that I'd been an idiot for storming into Cammie's house after the show.

A week away had been exactly what I needed. I'd needed to forget Cammie and blow off some steam after the disappointment from the label. Then, when I came back, I'd fallen seamlessly into the daily band rehearsals and the routine we'd perfected since we formed the band. I had been glad to be back, and it had seemed the guys were, too.

Jonas had written a new song during the break, and we had been messing around with it all week. He'd wanted to open with it, but I'd thought it would do better as a closer.

Since we were playing at The Ivy League, and the regulars loved our normal opener, "Hemorrhage", everyone agreed to add the new song to the end. After we put together the set list and ran through the entire show a few times, we packed up the van to head out.

After the show, I'd have to decide what to do about my Gallagher Girl. I'd thought that getting away and sinking myself into my music would make me forget her, but she was still on my mind two weeks later. I'd wanted to go see her the moment I got back, but I hadn't let myself. I hadn't cared that she thought I was stalking her, but I didn't want her to think that I was more attached than I was. No matter how much I'd thought about her since I walked out of her place.

On Saturday night, I slung my guitar over my shoulder and walked into The Ivy League. The bar already had a bunch of girls crowding the counter, and when I walked inside, a few pointed in my direction and giggled. I shot them a smile, and that only made them giggle more.

By the time we were finished setting up, the bar was full of students crawling into the League after classes had ended. I usually saw a number of the same faces over and over again at our shows. I hated to admit that I missed the larger crowds from the city. Nothing would compare to the energy from our home show, but I loved when I could look out across the room and not be able to calculate how many people were in attendance.

The guys got into position just as the lights dimmed. I walked onto the stage last, and applause hit me from all sides.

I smiled confidently, owning the stage, and then stepped up to the mic. "What's up, Leaguers? I'm Zach Goode, and we're BlackThorne." I waited until the screams died down before I introduced the first song, and we all began to play in sync.

Just as I started on the second chorus, I saw her. The lyrics stuck in my throat, and I faltered through the line before recovering. Jonas looked at me like I'd grown horns, but I just kept singing into the mic as if nothing had happened. My eyes darted back to her, and she smiled at me.

 _Shit! Cammie. What is she doing here?_ I'd thought that I would have to go to her if I ever wanted to see her again. Now, her hot little body was at my show and only ten feet in front of me. I was done for.

We ended "Hemorrhage" and moved into the next song easily. Her friends pushed her forward through the crowd until she was only a couple of rows away. And she wasn't in a cardigan. She wasn't even in a sweater. In fact, she was in some tight black dress, showing off her figure in ways that had my mind thinking about anything but the lyrics to the song.

I wasn't sure my eyes left her for the next couple of songs. And as embarrassed as she clearly was by the attention and her friends whispering in her ear, she held her head high and watched the entire set. She wasn't like the groupies in the first row—grinding their bodies to the music, singing along to every song, and reaching out for me—but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

"We have a special treat for you tonight," I called into the microphone. "We're playing a never-before-released track just for you. We're calling this one 'Letting You.'"

The only thing I could think about as I moved on to our last song was how fast I was going to get her backstage when I was finished.

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

 _Okay, I'd underestimated how good he is. Why didn't I pay attention the last time I was at a BlackThorne show?_ His voice was smooth and sexy, captivating the audience with the clever lyrics and easy rhythm.

Zach moved across the stage—guitar forgotten, microphone in hand—as he belted out the bridge of the song. His stage presence was the male equivalent to a Siren entrancing and capturing its victim. He owned the stage, the music, the people—the whole room belonged to him, which inevitably meant that I belonged to him.

His eyes swept the crowd, making every single person around him feel like he was singing the song specifically for them, but then his eyes would return to me—intense, enthralling, and alluring.

I could feel people looking at me, assessing me, wondering what was holding Zach's attention. I'd thought that I would make some kind of splash by showing up tonight, but more like a ripple and less like a tidal wave.

It had been two weeks since Zach had basically broken into my apartment and kissed me. I'd kind of been expecting him to continue stalking my existence until I was sick of him, but just when he had made me promise to see him again, he'd disappeared. And, well, I wanted to know why. It was more morbid curiosity about why the man who had taken my life by storm had cleared out just as quickly. _Why would he push so hard and then fall off the face of the planet?_

His silence intrigued me, and I wasn't easily intrigued.

Cursing myself for wanting to figure him out, I'd told my friends that I was going to the BlackThorne show with them. Liz had looked stunned, Bex had worn a knowing smile on her lips, and Macey had jumped up and down while insisting on dressing me. That was how I'd ended up in a fitted black dress and heels when I preferred cardigans and ballet flats.

Zach had finished out the lyrics to the last song, which had to be my favorite. "That's our show. Thanks for coming out to see us. We're BlackThorne. See you in a few weeks."

The crowd cheered, and I joined in with the applause. My eyes were still trained on Zach, and after he put his guitar back on its stand, he found me again in the crowd. He crooked his finger at me, and my cheeks heated. Bex nudged me forward through the dispersing group of people to the side of the stage.

"Hey," I managed to get out over the noise of the room.

"Come here you," Zach said, holding out his hand.

I wavered for a second before the girls made up my mind for me and pushed me forward. I walked straight up the stairs to Zach.

He smiled. "Hey, Gallagher Girl. How's my princess doing?"

 _Oh, those goddamn nicknames. At least they weren't darlin'._

"I didn't wear my glass slippers tonight."

"Then I guess that means you won't be leaving me at midnight either," he said, taking my hand and walking me toward the stage exit.

I glanced over my shoulder for a brief moment and saw my friends freaking out along with a whole lot of other girls glaring at me.

The backstage area actually wasn't much of a backstage. It was more like a long hallway with a restroom, a closet, and two exits. The other guys in the band were standing in the hallway. I only recognized Grant because he had tried to drug me, and he was now interested in Bex.

"Picking early, Zach?" Grant asked, eyeing me up and down.

 _Oh, dear Lord, did he actually think I was a groupie?_ I opened my mouth to make sure he knew that I wasn't, but Zach was already pulling me down the hallway.

"Something like that," he said over his shoulder.

"Are you going to let them think that we're coming back here for a reason?" I hissed as we walked away.

"That's exactly what I'm going to let them think." He wrenched me through the closet door.

The room was bigger than it looked from the outside. It looked more like an employee break room.

"I'm not some groupie," I said, trying for a playful attitude.

He pinned me against the table, and I was lost in his dark green eyes.

"I can make you one," he growled.

I laughed softly, trying to slow my thundering heart, as he nipped at my ear.

"So you came to my show."

"Well, you stopped stalking me, so I thought I'd give it a go."

He raised his eyebrows. "Oh, yeah? How's that working out for you?"

"I think it's working out better for me than it did for you."

"I like that." He dropped his hands to my waist and ran his hands down my sides to rest on my hips. "I've been thinking about you."

I took a step forward, startled by his honesty. "You've been thinking about me?"

"Mhm…about this."

His lips touched mine, and just like last time, I felt myself giving in to him. I thought I'd imagined how intoxicating his kisses were, but my memory hadn't done it justice. The only thing I could focus on was the electricity between us. Heat pooled in my stomach and radiated from my center.

Zach moved me to the couch to sit next to him. He dragged my bottom lip between his teeth and then captured me in another searing kiss. My breathing was ragged. My arm was around his neck, the other grasping his side. My leg nestled against his, and as he drew me closer, it slipped over his knee. His hand dropped down on my bare leg, and I didn't even bother moving it. His kisses were keeping me completely occupied.

He positioned me to straddle him. My dress rode up dangerously high, and I squirmed, wondering if I was letting this go too far. But he kept his lips on mine, and that energy was burning its way through me.

Both his hands were on my legs now, and I could feel his calloused fingertips trailing up my thigh. They were feather light touches at first, making my whole body hum, as he traveled higher and higher. His hand slipped under my short dress, and I let out a soft gasp against his mouth. He grinned at my response as he slowly traced the line of my underwear. My body quivered at the touch, and I seriously contemplated letting him do whatever he wanted with me. _How did he get me this flustered?_

He distracted me with his mouth, but this time, he pressed his luck, tugging lightly at my underwear before his finger slid under the material. That brought me back to my senses. I jumped out of his lap faster than I'd thought I could move in these heels and yanked my dress back down.

Jesus, I was about to become a groupie if I couldn't get a hold of myself. Gripping the table I took a few deep breaths. I didn't care if he saw how worked up he'd gotten me. I just had to stop.

Zach casually leaned back, looking completely unperturbed that I'd run away. Well, aside from the large bulge in his jeans.

I averted my gaze quickly. "I should probably get back to my friends."

He stood and moved so that he was in front of me again. He tucked a loose strand of blonde hair behind my ear and planted another kiss on my lips. "Are you sure?" he asked, his hands finding the hem of my dress again.

"Um…yes," I said awkwardly.

"Your body disagrees."

He started to slide my dress back up over my hips, but I stilled his hands.

"My friends," I said more confidently.

He sighed. I guessed he was realizing he wasn't going to get anywhere else with me right now.

He checked his watch. "Ten minutes."

"What?"

"Nothing. Don't worry about it."

I didn't wait to figure it out as I walked toward the door.

"Hey, Gallagher Girl," he said, catching up to me. His hand reached out for mine, and he threaded our fingers together. My heart skipped a beat, but I tried not to get caught up in him. "I'm really glad you showed up."

A smile broke out on my face. "Me, too," I admitted shyly.

He gave me that heart-wrenching smile that had started it all. "And I'm going to see you again?"

His green eyes stared deep into mine, and I couldn't think of a reason to deny him, so I just nodded. His broadening smile was worth it.

We walked back down the darkened hallway and out the door to the bar. The band was standing with a cluster of girls, my friends among them. The guys looked at us with various forms of surprise.

"You done already, bro?" Grant asked with a cackle. "Quickest quickie ever."

As the other guys cracked up, I glared at Grant.

"Seriously?" I asked in frustration.

I was ready to contradict them when Zach bent down and whispered in my ear, "Ignore them."

"Ignore them?" I hissed. "Are you kidding? They think we just had sex, and you're just going to—"

"They wouldn't believe me even if I told them that we hadn't," he told me plainly.

"Oh, how your reputation precedes you."

"You and I both know what happened. Why does it matter what anyone else thinks?"

"Because I have a reputation, too, and I don't want you to make me look like one of your sluts."

Zach laughed at my comment, but I didn't find it funny.

"Sorry, babe, but it's a hazard of being around me."

I opened my mouth to say something smart back, but he wasn't finished.

"And you've already promised to see me again. I'm not letting you back out now."

"You're going to make me regret this, aren't you?"

He winked at me. "Not a chance."

Two guys I didn't recognize walked up to us. "Zach," one of them said, "Hurst said tonight was the biggest crowd we've had."

"Epic," Zach said.

I glanced between them and wondered why I was left standing here awkwardly. So, I thrust out my hand and introduced myself. "Hi, I'm Cammie."

Both guys looked at me in surprise and then back at Zach.

After a second, one of them took my hand slowly, like he had never been introduced to anyone before. "Jonas."

"Nice to meet you."

He quirked a smile at me. "You, too. This is Aaron."

Aaron's eyes were bloodshot, and he looked really out of it, but he still managed to nod at me.

"Hi," I peeped. "Who is Hurst?"

Both guys' eyes bugged, and they turned to Zach. _What the hell is wrong with them?_

"He owns the bar," Zach informed me without glancing at his friends.

"Oh, well, that's great for you guys, right?"

"It is," Jonas said. "Bigger the shows, the better the business is for him."

"Bro!" Grant called, barging in between them.

I was thrown back into Zach and grunted as I slipped on my high heel. He put his arm around me to help me regain my balance.

"Bro, where is Sydney? I thought she was going to come to the show."

I raised my eyes to Zach, who still had his arm around me. _Who is Sydney?_

"She couldn't make it," Zach said.

"Dude, you spend all week with her and can't even bring her back to share with me?" Grant asked.

He was clearly cracking himself up, but Zach looked like he was about to pummel him.

I moved away and crossed my arms. _So, that's why he had been gone._ He had been away, visiting someone else. If I had to wager from Grant's comments, she was probably someone who was a lot easier than I was.

"What the fuck have I told you about talking about her like that?" Zach growled.

"I'm an ass man. You can't fault me."

"Um…who is Sydney?" I managed to get out.

Zach took his eyes off Grant for a second to look at me, and his anger dissipated. "Oh, no. She's not…" he said, fumbling for the right words.

"She's not what?" I asked. _Why am I getting defensive?_ It wasn't like we were dating.

"Gallagher Girl, Sydney is my cousin."

"Oh…"

 _Well…shit. I'm an idiot._ I had gotten worked up, thinking he had hooked up with some girl all week when he just went to visit family. I wasn't sure why I had even been getting worked up over him. It wasn't like we were together or anything—or that I was even interested in him. He'd intrigued me, that was all. _God, maybe I_ am _judgmental._

"I, um…okay," I said. My face heated, and I turned to walk back to my friends. _I should probably get back to my quiet, invisible life. Calculus is way easier than this._

"Gallagher Girl," Zach said, following me into the crowd. "Cammie, will you stop?"

"What, Zach?"

His eyes were fixed on me, but all I could see was everyone else staring at us. It was like the quad all over again, except all of our friends were here this time.

"I'm starting to think you're going to back out of our arrangement," he said quietly.

"What arrangement is that?"

"You said you'd see me again. I want some collateral on that," he said, stepping closer to me.

I just narrowed my blue eyes. "What kind of collateral?"

"I was thinking your phone number."

The people around us had gradually grown silent. Everyone was giving me the same expression that Jonas and Aaron had given Zach when I introduced myself. _Maybe Zach actually didn't go on dates with_ anyone…

"You want my phone number?" I whispered now that the room had quieted.

"Then I can make sure I can find you."

We locked eyes, his pleading for me to do as he asked. It was a vulnerability I hadn't seen, and it simply took my breath away.

I hadn't realized how close we had gotten until Grant called out, "Just kiss her already!"

Zach smirked, and my heart stopped. His hand found the back of my head, and then we were kissing. Full-on making out in front of all these people, and I didn't even care. I just wanted to let this desire course through my body and live in the moment. Live the moment that I'd never allowed myself before.

* * *

 **Cammie totally likes him...she can deny it all she wants, but we know the truth.**

 **So, tell me your thoughts! Zach's making progress in wearing Cammie down, and it seems like he's even starting to develop a real attraction for her too. It's so cliché and overdone, but it's always nice to see the unattainable "bad boy" break first and fall for the "nice girl" lol.**

 **Thanks again for reading, and a big thanks in advance for leaving a review (because you know you want to ;P)!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! It has been brought to my attention that I forgot to warn everyone that the characters in this story _will_ be OOC. Every character in the books were perfectly written and we all love them the way they are, but for the sake of this AU story, OOC is the way I have written them and I like them this way (solely for the purpose of _this_ storyline).**

 **As always, thank you to everyone reading and leaving a review (: I love reading your reactions and hearing your thoughts. It's why I write (:**

 **This chapter is solely from Zach's POV, which I tend to like reading better when I'm reading other author's stories anyway and think more people should do it for my selfish reasons lol. So enjoy (:**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

Two days later, Grant and I were playing Madden on my Xbox.

"You going to call that chick?" Aaron asked, plopping down on the couch in the middle of my living room next to Jonas.

"Of course he isn't going to," Grant said. He was bobbing and weaving with his players as he spoke.

"I don't know, man," I said.

My player sacked Grant's quarterback in the last play of the game. I'd won again, and Grant flipped me off.

"What do you mean, you don't know?" he asked. "She's just some chick that you had a quickie with in the back room of The League."

"She looked like a little bit more than a quickie," Jonas observed.

"Bro, Zach doesn't do more than that."

"Grant, you blind?" Aaron asked. "He pulled her onstage, and she introduced herself. How many groupies do you know that do that?"

"There was that one girl," Grant said dismissively.

"Who?" Jonas probed.

"Fuck, if Zach doesn't remember their names, why would I?"

"Guys, chill," I said, relaxing back into the recliner. "It's no big deal."

"Is that code for the three-day rule?" Aaron asked.

I shook my head. "What the hell is the three-day rule?"

I needed to get out of this real quick. The guys knew me too well not to realize that I was in over my head about Cammie. I had a fucking reputation to uphold.

"When you get a chick's phone number, you wait three days to call her. Just long enough to make her think you're not interested, but not long enough to actually look disinterested," Jonas filled in. "It's more of a guideline."

"Anyone actually follow that standard?" I asked.

"Looks like you are," Aaron teased me.

I set the controller on the coffee table, stood, and stretched out. Now would be as good a time as any to make up some shit, so they'd leave me alone. "Nah, I've got plans tonight with a hot Puerto Rican chick. I'm going to be getting laid while you assholes sit around and play video games."

"See?" Grant said. "My man, Zach, isn't some wimp worried about when to call some bitch. He tapped that last night. Wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am."

A muscle twitched in my jaw, and for a second, I thought I might throw Grant through the window. _Who the hell does he think he's talking about?_ Cammie wasn't some slut who slept with every dude in her path. If I hadn't done more than kiss her yet, then I was sure she wasn't letting just anyone dip into the honey pot.

"Grant," Jonas said in the voice he would use when Grant wasn't paying attention during rehearsal.

I relaxed my jaw, but it was too late. Jonas had seen what I was thinking as clearly as if I had laid it out in front of him. The motherfucker knew me too well.

"What?" Grant asked, oblivious.

I walked through the living room and grabbed my brown leather jacket. I didn't know where the hell I was heading to now that I'd committed myself to going out, but it would be better than sitting around and getting shit about Cammie.

I uncovered my motorcycle in the garage and steered it across town. Soon, I was out on the interstate—hitting eighty, a hundred, a hundred and twenty in the blink of an eye. My pulse rose with the speed of the bike between my legs, and a sense of control settled over me. This was what I'd needed—speed, adrenaline, power—to make me forget everything I was constantly running from.

My cherry red baby, the booze, the girls—they were all the things I'd gotten used to needing in my life. But Cammie was different. She was the new distraction to my uninterrupted self-torture. And I didn't know what the fuck I was doing. I had _no_ control with her, yet I didn't feel the pain when I was around her.

Everything else did nothing but dull the ache. Cammie might have started as a conquest, but I'd never met anyone else like her. Girls would put up with my shit, but she would push my buttons as much as I'd push hers. She'd give shit back to me tenfold and glare at me with those hurricane dark blue eyes, like she was going to chew me up and spit me out.

And she was so innocent. She hardly let me touch her, and damn, did I want to touch her. I had a reputation to protect, yet I'd gone and made a complete idiot of myself by asking for her phone number in front of everyone. Now, Jonas and Aaron were catching on, and I didn't want to deal with any of it.

But I'd still call her.

I knew I would. Like an addict, I'd take the morphine hit to forget the pain—even if it was temporary. I had always needed more and more of everything else in my life to stall the pain of what one argument, one kiss from her completely eradicated.

I kicked up the speed on the bike, trying to drown out her face and everything else that originated from being interested in someone like Cammie.

The rain came as unexpectedly as Cammie had into my life—a dribble and then a downpour.

I cursed under my breath, but it was soon lost to the wind howling in my helmet. I checked the next sign and groaned. I was over an hour away from home. I pulled off at the next exit ramp and cut my bike back toward Roseville. I hoped I could outrun the worst of the oncoming storm.

I felt the shift in the weather just as I was making it onto my street. The wind picked up, the rain came down in sheets at an angle, and lightning ripped out of the sky from every direction. I'd never been happier to park my bike in the garage. It had been a cold, miserable hour, and I just wanted a steaming hot shower and some peace.

I pulled my phone out of my jacket pocket and took the stairs two at a time. I stalled on the landing when I saw that I had two missed calls from Cammie. _Shit!_ I couldn't believe she'd called me while I'd been out riding around in this shitty weather. Actually, I couldn't believe she had called me at all.

When I dialed her number, she answered on the first ring. "Oh my god, you called me back," she said in that bitingly sarcastic tone she used all the time.

"Hey, darlin'. You miss me?"

She snorted, and it made me smile.

"Zach, I'm stranded."

"What?" I asked. "Where are you? What happened? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. My car broke down right off campus, and my roommates are in the middle of a movie. I…I don't know what's wrong with my car. Do you think you could, um…maybe come help me?"

I stared down at my drenched clothing and shrugged. I was already soaked through. It wouldn't hurt me any to go check on her.

 _Who the hell am I kidding?_ I wanted to see her, and I'd drive through this madness to do it, already wet or not.

"Sure. Where are you?"

Cammie gave me the nearest intersection, and I was happy to hear that she was only a couple of miles from my place. As soon as I hung up, I was out the door and in my truck, but the storm had managed to get even worse since I'd been inside. With the wipers on high and my brights lighting my way, I could still only see a few feet in front of me.

A three-minute drive took me nearly fifteen minutes, but then I saw a black BMW sitting on the side of the road with its flashers on. "Fuck. She drives a Beamer?"

I parked behind her, shaking off the question of why someone would give a college student a BMW, and then I dashed out of my truck. When I reached the driver's side, I tapped on the glass. I saw her jump in the front seat, and then she smiled when she recognized me. _That smile is going to be the death of me._

I opened the umbrella I'd brought with me as Cammie rolled down the window. "Take the umbrella and go get in my truck."

"What about my car?" she asked like there was a better plan.

"Pop the hood. I'll take a look, but you won't see a tow truck tonight. Not in this mess."

She sighed and then nodded. She didn't even argue with me. _Miracle of all miracles._

After she exited, she slid the keys in my hand, took the umbrella, and then made a dash for my truck. It only took me a couple of seconds to realize she had a busted radiator. She'd have to leave it until the morning. When I finally made it back to my truck, I didn't think there was an inch of me that wasn't sopping wet.

"Thanks," she said softly once I was settled in the seat.

"No problem," I said. "I mean, I thought I might have gotten lucky, and you wanted a jump."

I winked at her, and she just rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, everything is sexual with you."

"I just saved your hot ass. I think you can handle a joke."

She sighed and then seemed to agree. "All right. Could you tell what was wrong?"

"Cracked radiator."

"Great," she groaned and leaned her head back against the seat.

"Yeah, but it won't be too bad. I have a friend I could hook you up with. He does great work for cheap."

"My parents will probably want me to take it to the dealer."

"Ah." I didn't know what else to say, so I shifted into reverse and backed away from her car. I made a U-turn in the middle of the street and started back the way I had come.

"Wait, my house is that way." She pointed behind us.

"I know, princess. It would take an hour to get to your house in this. It takes fifteen minutes to get to my place, so that's where we're going."

"Um…I don't think so."

"Look, if we're driving the hour to your place, then I'm staying there because I'm not driving the hour back."

Cammie opened her mouth as if she was going to contradict me, but then she didn't. I glanced in her direction twice, waiting for her to say something, to tell me that I'd fucking drive her to her house and back because she said so, but still nothing came out.

"My parents are going to be so angry," she whispered.

"Why? It's not your fault."

She shrugged her little shoulders and stared determinedly out the window. "I don't know."

"Seems like a silly thing to get angry about."

"That's my parents for you. What would your parents say?"

"Nothing," I said, tensing at the question.

"Really? You're so lucky." She sank back into the seat and crossed her arms.

She looked really young. I'd never given a thought to her age until that moment.

"How old are you, Gallagher Girl?"

"Nineteen," she said without skipping a beat.

 _Shit. Really young._ I mean, I'd been with girls her age and younger, _but hell._ Cammie wasn't just some play thing. She seemed so mature. I definitely would have guessed twenty-one at least. Maybe that was just what I'd been hoping for.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-three."

Her eyes widened. "Oh."

"What?"

"You're my brother's age. He'd kill me right now if he knew what I was doing."

"What exactly are you doing? Getting a ride home from a guy who just helped you out of a tough position. Yeah, what an asshole!"

"That's not what I meant," she said, trying to backtrack. "He's just…protective."

"Doesn't want his little sister to turn out like the girls he's fucking?"

"Dillion is _not_ like that!"

I cracked up laughing because there was nothing else to do in the situation. I was certain her brother was exactly like that.

"It's not funny."

Cammie smacked me on the arm, but I caught her hand before she could yank it back.

"If you're going to be such a jerk, I'll reconsider making you drive across town to take me home."

I turned onto my street just as she said it. After stopping in front of my house, I unbuckled her seat belt and pulled her across the cab to me. "Gallagher Girl, at this point, you'd have to walk home. You're not fucking leaving."

Her eyes found mine, and I saw the anger leaving her body as she stared at me. She still looked a bit like she wanted to slap me around, but I was good with that as long as I could get her inside.

After a minute, she conceded. "You're right. I'm not."

Well, damn, this was going way better than I'd thought it would. She had fought me tooth and nail for every second of her time up until this point. _When did we turn a corner?_

I kissed her softly on the lips. I didn't want to get too into it before we went inside, but when she responded to my touch, I had to fight myself not to lay her out in the cab of my truck.

She pulled back first, and her cheeks heated when I looked down at her.

"Let's go," I said, nodding toward the house before I actually acted on my throbbing want for her.

We jogged through the rain until we were inside. I gestured for her to take the stairs, which she did without a single snide remark.

"I like your house," she said.

"Thanks."

My eyes were fixed on her body in the light from my bedroom. She was wet, and her clothes were clinging to her in the most tempting way. All I could think about was what it would feel like to peel them off of her, to get my hands on her soft skin again. I felt my body stiffen at the prospect. "I need a shower…if you're interested."

She shook her head. "I'm sure you can have enough fun all on your own."

"But you're already wet, babe." I couldn't hold back my smirk.

She snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is _everything_ sexual with you?" she scolded.

"Not everything," I told her. "But you are torturing me with your body right now."

I watched as she shifted uncomfortably from my compliment. She wouldn't even meet my eyes. For someone who looked like _that_ , I would have thought she could take compliments better.

"No, I'm not going to shower with you, but some dry clothes would be appreciated, so I can stop torturing you," she responded softly.

"Who said I wanted you to stop torturing me?"

She leveled me with an eat-shit-and-die look, and I just laughed.

"All right, all right."

I found her some clothes before reluctantly retreating to the bathroom. It took a solid ten minutes for the cold to leach out of my skin and another ten until I felt human again.

Grabbing a white towel off the rack, I wrapped it around my waist and then confidently strode out into my bedroom. _This is going to be fun_. I was naked from the waist up, and I knew what my body looked like. Even though I wasn't a gym rat like Grant, I spent time to keep myself in shape. I had defined muscles in my arms and chest, not to mention a six-pack and that V that made sane women crazy.

Cammie's eyes bulged when she saw me, taking in my entire body. Her gaze flickered from my abs to the tattoo on my shoulder and stretching across my collarbone. _Who would guess Princess Cardigan would like tattoos?_ Apparently realizing that she had been gawking, she hastily looked away like she wasn't supposed to see it.

"Um…sorry," she whispered.

I wasn't sorry though. I'd wanted her to see.

All _I_ saw, though, was that she was sitting around in my clothes— _my_ T-shirt and sweats. She looked utterly amazing in them. I liked her wet clothes, but something about seeing her in mine turned me on. I'd never let a girl wear my clothes before.

"I'll just…yeah," she said, swiveling in place to completely face away from me.

I dropped my towel to the ground, and I watched her fidget. _Yep, completely nude here, honey. Just turn around._ But she didn't. I found a pair of boxers and some basketball shorts, but I didn't bother with a shirt. She had been interested in my body, and I wasn't going to give her an out when her eyes had widened like that.

After I changed, I wrapped my arms around her from behind, and she jumped at the unexpected touch. I dropped my lips down onto her neck and tasted her soft skin. She titled her head slightly, and I took that as an okay to continue. My hands slid up under the T-shirt I'd let her borrow, and I pulled her hips back against mine.

Then, she groaned.

 _Holy shit. Cammie is here—in my room, in my clothes._ I thought my brain had shut down at this point, and all I could do was feel the woman in my arms. This, right here, was what I'd wanted.

"Gallagher Girl," I whispered against her skin.

She moaned an incoherent response.

"Bed." My voice was strained from holding back.

All I wanted was to get her so caught up in lust that she forgot her own name, and to wear her out so much that she couldn't walk the next morning. She was driving me batshit crazy, and I was starting to believe that she had no fucking clue what she was doing to me.

"Zach, no."

She tried to pull away from me, but I still had her hips in my hands. I yanked her back against me hard, and she squeaked.

I turned her around to face me and repeated myself. "Bed."

For a split second, I thought she was going to turn me down. Then, I saw her eyes soften, and she swallowed.

"I, um…" She bit her lip and stared up at me under thick black lashes.

 _I'm fucked._

"Get in my bed, woman."

"Don't order me around."

I smacked her ass with a flat open palm, and she yelped, her eyes widening in surprise.

"What the hell?"

"Get in the bed."

Just as I reached for her, ready to make her listen, she scrambled under the covers. _Perfect._ I slid into place next to her, and I could feel her tension from a mile off.

I ran my hand slowly down her side. She tried to remain perfectly still, even as I coaxed shivers out of her. I adjusted her so that she was on her side and she could face me.

"Zach," she murmured, her eyes wide.

She was fighting with herself, and it looked like I was winning. I tangled our legs together and dropped my mouth onto hers. It was like turning the key in the ignition. Suddenly, I couldn't get enough of her. I couldn't stop touching her.

I started tugging the sweats over her hips, and then I grabbed her ass in my hands. Yanking her hard against me, I knew she could feel what she was doing to me. I groaned into her mouth as her hands slid across my bare chest. Her touches were featherlight at first, like she was just testing the water. I pressed my body against her, craving her touch.

Her hands were trembling, even as they moved across my abs. I tried to slide the sweats farther down her legs, but she wasn't having any of it, and I gave up. They were far enough. I could reach everything I wanted. I slipped my hand in between us and then into her underwear.

She squirmed against me, but I couldn't tell if she wanted me to stop or keep going. It seemed like she wanted more to me. Then I heard the faintest of gasps, and my body immediately tingled with anticipation in response.

"Cammie," I groaned, unable to hide how seriously turned on I was.

She ducked her head into my shoulder, seemingly embarrassed, but she didn't stop me. I rolled her over onto her back and yanked the pants down to her ankles. _Oh, how I needed this._

I reached for her again, but she put her hand out. "Zach…I can't. Oh my God, I can't do this." She frantically pulled up the sweats I'd lent her.

"Cammie…" I begged.

I adjusted myself right in front of her, and she tried not to notice.

"I'm not going to have sex with you."

I wanted to show her exactly how wrong she was about that.

But the pleading look in her eyes, rather than the indifference she normally sent my way, broke me down. I'd give her whatever she wanted even if she wasn't giving me everything I wanted.

I sank down onto the bed next to her, and I tried to get my head on straight. She'd turned me down. I wasn't sure that had ever happened…yet I still wanted her here. I still wanted her in my bed.

"You know what?"

"What?" she breathed.

"I want you, Gallagher Girl."

"I gathered that."

"Yeah, I want to have sex with you. What guy wouldn't? But I meant that I want you here, like this. I want you to stay the night. I want you to just be here…with me."

She didn't know how much those words really meant. I'd never wanted that in my entire life.

"Then, I want you to let me take you out to dinner. I'll pick you up, I'll take you out, we'll walk through the park, and I'll even get you home before midnight, so your coach doesn't turn into a pumpkin."

She giggled, actually _giggled_ , and I knew I had her.

"What do you say?"

She licked her lips as if she were considering. "All right, Zach. I'll go on a date with you."

We kissed until I thought I might combust from the energy coursing between us. How she held such composure was beyond me, but I wanted to respect her. I _did_ respect her. It was the strangest thing.

Soon, Cammie nuzzled her head into my shoulder, her breathing slowed, and then she was fast asleep. I wrapped my other arm around her and held her tight.

I'd never had a girl spend the night just to sleep.

* * *

 **I was so excited for you all to read this chapter because it's one of my favorites! We finally get to see Zach admit that he likes Cammie as more than just a challenge...and SHE FINALLY AGREED TO GO ON A DATE! Which y'all will get to see next chapter (:**

 **So, let me know what your thoughts were. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Is Zammie taking too long to get it on? I guess I probably should've also stated as a disclaimer that it was going to be kind of a slow-burn. But is seven chapters for them to finally go on a date really considered a slow-burn? Lol. Let me know!**

 **Thanks everyone! Stay awesome (:**


	7. Chapter 7

**Big thanks to all my supporters! As promised, here's Zammie's first date (: ENJOY!**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

After I'd fallen asleep in Zach's arms, the rest of the world kept spinning at its normal speed, but my life felt like it was moving in fast forward. I'd been shocked at how far I let things go with him, but it had also seemed so easy to just let it happen. I had thought I was going to give myself up. I had never felt like that before in my life. When I was with Zach, I felt safe and secure. Although not completely comfortable in my skin, I was definitely more so with him than I'd ever felt before. And as much as my defenses were normally up, I could feel him crumbling them with ease.

I was glad that Bex had planned to visit her parents in the city for the weekend, so she wasn't there to see me getting ready for my date on Friday afternoon. I chose a dark blue dress and paired it with my jean jacket and ballet flats. I'd even curled my hair and let it hang loose past my shoulders.

When Zach knocked on my door, I was surprised to find him out of his normal T-shirt and into a polo and dark-wash jeans. He'd cleaned up, too—freshly shaven, his hair styled, his tattoos hidden. My heart skipped a little at the sight.

"Hey," he said, pulling me against him. "I've been thinking about you all week."

I started to chastise myself for getting giddy, but then I just let myself feel what was working its way through me. When we weren't at each other's throats, I kind of liked being around Zach.

We walked out to his truck, and I hopped up into the passenger seat.

"Hope you don't mind a little drive," he said.

"Where are we going?"

He smiled at me. "Down to the shore."

It was an hour before we arrived at a small pizza place. It didn't look like much with a small sign that read _Solomon's_ overhead, but the parking lot was jam-packed. I was a little worried about finding a table, but Zach didn't seem to have any anxiety.

We hopped out of the truck and Zach came around to my side. When he saw the concern on my face, he just laughed and took my hand. "Come on, Gallagher Girl. It's the best pizza I've ever had. You do like pizza, right?"

Uncertainty crossed his face for a moment, but then it disappeared as soon as I nodded.

We walked into the building together, and a hostess greeted us. Every single table in the place was filled. Waiters were carrying trays of drinks and pizza and joking around with customers. The restaurant had an energy about it that made me relax. I hadn't known what to expect with Zach, but I was kind of glad he hadn't taken me anywhere fancy. That was what I typically went for, but that didn't seem like Zach's style.

"Great. Thanks," Zach said to the hostess.

"This way," she said.

We followed her through the crowd, out a set of double doors, and onto a balcony overlooking the ocean. Exactly one table was unoccupied, and it had to be the best seat in the place. _What a coincidence._

I sat across from Zach and waited for the hostess to leave before speaking. "This is…really nice. How did you find this place?"

"I used to come here a lot when I was younger."

"Oh, really? Are you from the area?" I asked, leaning forward. For the first time, I realized that I knew next to nothing about the man in front of me.

"Moved here from Maine when I was ten, and I've been here ever since." He looked a little sheepish before admitting, "This was actually my first job. I worked here through most of high school."

I'd never pictured him working, which was out of the ballpark of normalcy for me. _What do you do?_ —that had been the only question that really mattered in my parents' circle of friends.

"I bet you brought all the girls here," I said lightly.

"Uh…no, not really."

"No?"

"I didn't have to take girls out. I guess this would be the first time."

I gaped at him.

"So, how am I doing?" Zach asked, spreading his arms wide and giving me a charming smile.

 _The first time? Like, his first date ever?_

 _No. no way. That can't be right._

 _Surely, someone like Zach had had tons of girls flocking for his attention in high school. He'd had to date someone…sometime._

 _Right?_

The longer I stared at him, the more I saw the layer underneath his confidence. He _was…nervous._ Zachary Goode was nervous to be on a date with me.

"Well, you're not horrible," I teased him with a small smile.

He smirked before letting out a soft chuckle with a shake of his head.

"No, you're doing great," I assured him. And it was true. I couldn't believe it, but this was better than the dates I'd gone on with guys from Gallagher.

"Zach!" an older man said as he walked up to our table. "So good to see you home again and with such a beautiful date."

"It's good to be back, Joe. This is my friend, Cammie."

"It is a true pleasure, Cammie." The man took my hand in his, large and strong from use. He had kind eyes and a welcoming smile.

"Joe's the owner," Zach filled in for me.

"Oh, well, I love your restaurant."

The man laughed. "You haven't even tasted the food!" He glanced at Zach and winked. "I like her."

Zach seemed completely comfortable when his eyes shifted to from Joe's back to mine. "I like her, too."

My cheeks heated, and I looked away from him. I couldn't figure out how Zach made my stomach flip the way it did. I'd always been so logical, practical…and he threw those qualities out the window with a simple smile.

"We'll have the special and some water. Unless you want something else?" he asked me hesitantly.

"That sounds fine."

Joe picked up the unopened menus from the table. "Don't be a stranger, Zach," he said before leaving.

"You've been incredibly accommodating tonight," Zach said. "I keep waiting for a snarky comment."

I shrugged. "Well, you haven't made any asshole sexual comments yet."

"I could if you like."

"Oh, yes, my dream in life is to be sexually objectified every chance I get."

He cracked a smile. "There she is."

"Does it ever get tiring?"

"What?" he asked, leaning in closer to me.

"The sexual objectification, the constant stream of girls. Don't you ever just want more?"

"Babe, I'm usually getting more."

"Ugh! Not what I meant," I said, turning my face out to the ocean. "You've never been on a date before. From everything I've heard about you…you sleep with women and then never talk to them again." I could feel the heat of his gaze on my face, and I forced myself to look at him. "Haven't you ever thought there was more to a relationship than that?"

Zach stiffened at my question. I'd done it again. I couldn't keep my mouth shut. I couldn't keep myself from asking exactly what was on my mind. I was messing this thing up, whatever it was with Zach, before our first date had even ended.

Finally he spoke, his gaze averted and focused on the ocean. "To be perfectly honest, Gallagher Girl," he started, then he turned back to me with a seriousness I still wasn't used to seeing from him and continued, "until you, I'd never given two shits about anyone that wasn't family."

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

Cammie and I left _Solomon's_ after we finished dinner, and she started walking back toward my truck. I hadn't driven all the way down to the shore just to get pizza. We were on my first date, so I was going to go all out.

I grabbed her hand and looped it with mine. "This way," I said, taking a side entrance to the boardwalk.

Her dark blue eyes were wide and alert as she took in the scene before her. The sun was low on the horizon and reflecting against the water for miles.

"You ever been to the shore before?"

"Yes. My roommates took me last summer. Macey and Liz are from around here, so they showed Bex and me around."

"Where are you from?"

"Nebraska."

"Never been there."

"It's okay, I guess. My dad is a CEO at a bank there, so I—"

I straightened visibly at that word. _CEO. Fuck me. Who the hell am I to take out a girl whose father runs an entire bank?_

"What?" she asked, noticing my discomfort.

"Nothing," I covered quickly.

She knew I was lying.

"Well, I think you might like Nebraska," she finally said.

Silence lingered between us. I felt something crawl into my chest and spread out, like it was trying to fester through my whole body. I didn't know what was wrong with me. I liked this girl. _That must be it._ I was completely out of my element. I'd slept with spoiled princesses whose parents had too much money. I hadn't discriminated against who landed in my bed. But this…this felt entirely different.

"You have something on your mind," she said bluntly.

"Yeah." I drew her into me and kissed her hard on the mouth. Maybe I could drown out my own thoughts.

Her arms wrapped around my neck, and she wound her fingers through my hair. She shivered in my arms, and I wasn't sure if it was from our kiss or the crisp air as winter rolled in on the boardwalk, but I just kissed her harder, more desperately. I didn't care who her father was or how much money they had or how much better than me she probably was. She was kissing me back. Whether I deserved it or not, Cammie wanted this, too.

As always, Cammie pulled away first. Her dark blue eyes met mine, and she giggled against my lips. Since I'd known her, she had always worn such a stern expression with a particularly prominent scowl, so her giggle made me smile.

"Something funny, Gallagher Girl?" I asked, pulling back to look at her.

She shook her head. "No. I'm just surprised I'm having a good time with you."

"Ouch," I said, bringing a hand to my wounded heart.

"Oh, no…I didn't mean it like…" she trailed off and bit her lip. "Sorry. I have a problem with spewing the first thing that comes to mind."

"It's not a problem," I told her quickly. Actually, I really liked it.

"Well, I'm not one to sugarcoat," Cammie said.

"Me either. That's why when I told you that I wanted you in my bed, I meant it."

"Oh, I know you meant that." Her cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. "But what I didn't know was if all of this was just an excuse to get me there."

 _Huh._ As much as I wanted to have this girl writhing underneath me while I pleasured the both of us in ways she could only imagine, that hadn't been in my game plan. Not the way that she was thinking at least.

"And?" I finally asked. "What do you think?"

She took a few steps away from me and leaned her elbows against the railing of the boardwalk, facing out to the ocean. My body responded to the beautiful sight of her body pressed into the wooden railing and her nice ass sticking out. She glanced over her shoulder and saw me checking her out.

"Well?" I prompted when she said nothing.

"I think you want me there, but you like me _here_ , too."

I closed the distance between us and turned her to face me. My hands slid down the sides of her dress as I whispered in her ear, "I want you any way I can have you."

She cleared her throat as I felt her body reacting to my nearness.

"I'll be sure to remember that."

* * *

When we arrived at Cammie's house right before midnight, I walked with her up to her door, all the while restraining myself from pouncing on her. Physical restraint had never been my strong suit.

Images of Cammie—her lips on mine as I'd pushed her through her open doorway, her body wet from the rain, her nestled against my chest, her laughing on the boardwalk—all hit me with a fresh wave of desire. I wanted to be near her, with her, in her—and I wanted it _bad_.

When we reached her door, I kissed her pleadingly. _Please let me stay. Please let me show you everything I can do to you. Please let me give you what we both want right now._

I wasn't going to walk away without trying.

She whispered something so softly that I hadn't even heard it in the breeze.

"What?" I asked.

Cammie turned her head away, a red blush touching her cheeks and the tips of her ears. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"If I don't want to what?"

"Come inside…" she said quietly.

I couldn't keep the smile from my face. _Hell yeah, I wanted to come inside!_

Cammie fumbled with the key before opening the door and leading us into her place. I'd been inside before, but it was a different experience to actually be welcomed. She shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it across the back of the couch. She teetered from one foot to the other, not making eye contact with me from across the room.

"Which room is yours, Gallagher Girl?"

Her eyes widened, but she didn't answer. I could see what was written on her face— _I'm not going to have sex with you._

"I know," I told her.

She startled as if I'd read her mind. "Zach…"

"Which one?"

She nodded her head behind her. When she didn't move, I walked across the room and guided her back toward it. I could take control. That was fine with me.

Once we were in her room, my lips found hers, and my mind went on autopilot. I needed her. I needed this.

I pushed her back until her legs met the large bed in the center of the room. It was one of those fancy beds that was too high to sit on comfortably. A million useless throw pillows lay on top, and I reached out and wiped them all from their neat arrangement. Then, I grabbed her by the backs of her legs and set her down effortlessly. Her blue dress bunched around her upper thighs, and I hardened at the sight. My hands slid up under the material, and she shivered against my touch.

"Zach," she whispered.

I assumed she'd meant it as a hesitation, but it had come out as a moan.

"Cammie, please," I begged against the smooth skin of her neck. My voice was hoarse. I wanted something, anything at this point.

"I'm not going to—"

"I know. I know." I held back my irritation, but I put some distance between us. I refrained from running my hand through my hair, not wanting to make her feel bad.

But there was a scared look in her eyes as I retreated. "Zach."

I took her hand in mine and placed it on the front of my pants. She jerked back quickly, but I grabbed it again. "See what you do to me, Cammie?"

"Zach," she said softly, removing her hand. "I don't…I've never felt like this. I'm not this…"

I started climbing on top of the bed, and she scrambled backward. My hands latched on to her waist, and I laid her out flat beneath me.

"You know," I said into her ear. "I've never felt like this either."

I started grinding my hips against her, and she whimpered. Her hands gripped my forearms, neither pushing me away nor pulling me closer. I wanted nothing more than to lose control. My body was literally aching to be with her. I was sure she could feel my need as it put pressure between her thighs.

Cammie groaned and pulled me down until my lips met hers. I indulged her as I slid my hand down her bare thigh. I reached underneath her to grab her ass, and she jumped slightly, thrusting upward against me.

"Please," I groaned, begging one last time. "Please, Cammie."

She shook her head, but her eyes were filled with the same desire consuming my body. I wanted so desperately to ignore her—to take what was lying beneath me. But I couldn't. I respected her too much to do that to her, no matter how badly we _both_ wanted it.

I hated how much I liked her—how I could get so wound up because of her, but then just leave without finishing the deal. It was getting harder and harder to respect her wishes, and I wasn't sure how much more of her teasing I could handle.

* * *

 **So, they went on Zach's first date ever... awwww (: And we got to meet the legendary Joe Solomon for a brief moment! Unfortunately, he's not a huge part of the story...but later you'll see how Joe is much more important to Zach than he's letting on. Of course he isn't just the owner of the pizzeria that Zach used to work at in high school, come on now! It's Joe and Zach...there's always more to the story when it comes to those two ;P**

 **I went back and read the last chapter after getting a few comments on how aggressive Zach was being, and honestly I didn't notice it while I was writing it, but I can totally see why it would've made some readers uncomfortable. So I went through the scene in this chapter, like, ten times to make sure it wasn't as bad as previous ones and I'm hoping it's a lot better...? Eh, we'll see. The main thing here to remember is that Zach is used to getting girls to fall for his charm and them being pretty easy to hook up with, so yeah, he's kind of a dick ( _right now_ ). I don't mean to make him out to be abrasive or controlling, but he's out of his element and he doesn't really understand the situation. Plus, it's fiction, so it all comes from inside K. A. Linde's head... no Cammie's were actually hurt (:**

 **I like when Zach, who's so confident and cocky and arrogant, shows signs of insecurity, kind of like he does here when Cammie mentions her dad is the CEO of a bank. Ally Carter gives him moments like that in the books as well, and I think they're probably my favorite scenes. Just a fun fact for any FF writers out there who want to know my opinions ;) lol.**

 **Anyway, thanks a bunch to everyone still reading! Coming up will be a lot of fluff and some romantic (ish) dates just for you (:**

 **Stay awesome!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, so I lied last chapter...cute fluffy dates will begin _next_ chapter! This one deals with some Zammie drama...because it makes it more interesting and intense and I like it that way (:**

 **Big thanks to everyone reading/following/reviewing! Y'all are awesome, and I love reading all of your comments! :D**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

Ever since Zach had left my apartment without a word three days ago, I'd been sleeping like shit. I knew that I shouldn't agonize over what had possibly gone wrong, but I couldn't figure out what happened. The only thing that stuck out was the fact that I hadn't slept with him. _That must be it._ He must have thought that after one date, I'd give it up, and when I hadn't, he'd moved on. I couldn't think of another explanation.

And I was amazed, quite shocked actually, that I was physically and emotionally beating myself up about it. For a minute, I'd wanted to rush over to his house and offer myself. The logical side of my brain told me that wouldn't keep him around any longer than me denying him had, but it was difficult to keep myself in check.

Deep down I'd known it was happening. When I had agreed to go on a date with Zach—maybe even before then when I had called him to help with my car—I'd known that I was falling for him. But I'd thought that one date would prove that he was everything I'd thought he was—an arrogant, conceited, manipulative, asshole, playboy rocker who cared for nothing but which bed he was landing in. While that image hadn't wavered because he was absolutely all of those things, I'd managed to find that there was _more_ to Zach Goode…and that had been my downfall.

I'd really thought we had some kind of moment, a connection even, but it all came back to sex. _How could I ever think I would hold someone like Zach Goode's interest? What did I have to offer that he couldn't easily get somewhere else?_ Just thinking about it was irritating me all over again.

And look, I hadn't even been paying attention to my chemistry professor, so I had missed the entire slide with the homework assignment on it.

I caught up to Tina as she exited the classroom. "Hey!"

Tina stopped and waited for me. "What's up?"

"I forgot to write down the homework assignment. Do you think I could get it from you?"

"You _what_?"

 _Yeah. Great. Just point out the fact that I'm not myself._ "So, do you think I could see it?" I asked, annoyed.

"Um…sure, hold on."

She pulled out her paper, and I started scribbling down the pages and pages of work I needed to read and all the problems I had to finish before lab on Thursday.

"So, not to be nosy or anything, but after Zach got your number last weekend, did he, like, actually call you?" Tina asked.

 _Ugh! Zach._

She must've seen my grimace because she quickly said, "Never mind. He was probably just trying to get some ass, like always. You shouldn't feel bad that he didn't call you."

 _Breathe in, breathe out, Cammie. Think, for once in your life. Think before you speak!_

"Don't feel bad for me. Zach Goode is as likely to get some ass from me as I am of getting a B on the next test."

"Wait, you mean you two didn't have sex at the League?"

"Who told you we did?" I asked carefully.

"Everyone. I mean, everyone was talking about it. Something about a quickie in the back room."

I saw red. I didn't even know what to think or do about the situation, but it felt like in one easy swoop Zach Goode had ruined my carefully constructed reputation.

"I didn't have sex with Zach. You can tell that to everyone else who asks you, too."

Tina looked at me skeptically. "But you were backstage with him, right?"

"Just because I was backstage doesn't mean I had sex with him!" I snapped.

A few people glanced our way, and I reminded myself to breathe. I scrawled the last few notes into my notebook and then passed hers back. "We didn't have sex."

"Okay…you didn't have sex."

I ground my teeth together at the disbelieving inflection in her voice. I didn't even know what else to say, so I just turned around and walked away. I hadn't bothered thanking her for her notes.

I snatched my phone and dialed Zach's number. I couldn't believe that I was giving in and calling that bastard again.

He picked up on the third ring. "Hey, Gallagher Girl."

 _Cocky, conceited, arrogant prick._ I wanted to wipe the smirk right off his face. I wanted to forget ever going on a date with him or kissing him or fantasizing about doing _more._ I wanted to forget the last three days of exhaustion, wondering why he had snuck out of my house and why he hadn't called me back. I'd never had those thoughts before, and I just wanted him out of my life, so this could all stop.

"You told everyone that we slept together?" I asked, nearly hysterical.

"What?" I heard the genuine confusion in his voice.

"You told everyone that we slept together!" I repeated. "Congratulations! You have single-handedly ruined my entire reputation. Now, everyone thinks I'm some dumb groupie slut. What, you couldn't get any from me, so you just _told_ everyone that you did?"

"I would _never_ do that."

"Then why is everyone saying that, Zach? Hmm? Do you think I'm stupid? I told you I didn't want to play this game."

"Cammie, would you slow down for one second? I never told anyone that we had sex. Who did you hear that from?"

"My friend Tina told me that everyone was talking about it."

"Well, they're probably just assuming that it happened since you came backstage with me. I didn't tell anyone that. I haven't even told anyone I've been seeing you."

I didn't know why that bugged me just as much. "I'm so glad that not only does everyone think we slept together, but I'm _also_ your dirty little secret. Fantastic." I reached my car and wrenched the door open.

"Cammie, you need to fucking chill. I'm trying to tell you what's going on, so shut your smart mouth for a second and actually listen to me."

 _Oh, he did not just go there._ "Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot."

"No one in the whole fucking world could think you're an idiot, Cammie! Just calm the fuck down," he growled. "You know what? Fuck it. Let's just meet up. I'm tired of you yelling at me through the phone."

"Fine. I'll just yell at you in person."

"I like my women vocal," he said with a chuckle. "Your place or mine, sweetheart?"

"Ugh! You're so exasperating! Just forget it."

"Gallagher Girl, you should learn to take a joke. Just be at The Coffee Bean in fifteen minutes."

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

I dropped into a booth in the back of the coffee shop and tossed my helmet into the seat next to me as I waited for Cammie.

 _Fuck._ It was the only word that kept replaying through my mind. I wasn't even sure if I could make this whole thing any worse, it was already so fucked up.

I'd stayed the night at her place, but I hadn't slept a wink. I'd been too lost in my own train of thought, too horny to let myself relax around her. Then, I'd lost my nerve. _I'd lost my fucking nerve._ I couldn't believe it.

I'd been lying there obsessing about the fact that I liked this chick and that I was getting in way over my head. Then, I'd freaked the fuck out and bolted.

I couldn't like her this much. I couldn't be in her house, lying against her soft body while holding her tight, and not want to sleep with her. But I respected the woman enough not to push any more than I had, and I'd been pushy as hell.

Then, like a wimp, I hadn't called her after I disappeared. I'd wanted to get laid so bad, but every time I'd closed my eyes, all I would see was her face.

 _How hard could it be to forget someone?_ Clearly, it wasn't easy enough because as soon as I'd seen her number on my phone, I'd answered. I couldn't stay away from her. I'd been stupid for even trying, and I was going to convince her that she couldn't stay away from me either.

The door rattled on its hinges as Cammie yanked it open, and I got my first glimpse of her. A thundercloud might as well have been hovering over her head. Her eyes found me across the room. Her smile was replaced with that scowl, telling me she was going to lay into me as soon as she sat down.

 _This is going to be fun._

"So, I'm here," she grumbled, taking a seat. "Are you going to explain to me why you told everyone that we slept together?"

"I didn't tell anyone that," I said.

Actually, I'd purposefully avoided saying anything at all about Cammie. The guys had just inferred that from previous behavior.

"Then, there's no reason for me to stay here."

She started to get up, and I grabbed her wrist.

"Sit your ass back down."

She wrenched her arm away from me. "Why should I bother?"

"Look, I didn't say that I slept with you! But I have slept with chicks in the back room of The League before. We were back there for ten minutes. Grant thought that was what we were doing, and I even told you that they wouldn't believe me if I'd said we weren't fooling around."

"Fooling around does not necessarily mean sex!"

"For me, it does," I told her frankly.

She glared at me.

"What? Do you want me to tell everyone that I didn't sleep with you? Do you want me to fuck with my reputation?"

"No. By all means, I never want to see you again either," she spat. I honestly couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not.

"Fine. Don't move."

I stood from my seat, already feeling like an idiot, but it was clear that Cammie had made me one. "Excuse me," I called out to the busy coffee shop.

"Zach, what are you doing?" Cammie hissed.

Gradually, the coffee shop quieted, and eyes moved over to me. I thought I recognized some of the faces. From the flicker of recognition throughout the crowd, I was sure people recognized me, too.

"Sorry to take up your time, but I'm Zach Goode."

Someone whistled, and then I heard a catcall from the other direction. At least I had their attention.

"I just wanted to make a quick announcement. This is my friend Cammie."

She blushed bright crimson as I addressed her.

"I wanted everyone to know that I haven't slept with her, that's all. Feel free to tell your friends."

I sat down and was about to open my mouth to ask her if that had proved my point, but she had already grabbed her bag and was rushing out the door.

"Shit," I grumbled. I tucked my helmet under my arm and darted out after her. "Cammie!"

"Leave me alone, Zach!"

"Come on. Where are you going?"

"Just leave me alone!" she called back over her shoulder.

I jogged to catch up with her. There was no way I was letting her get away like this. "Cammie, hold up."

She whirled around when I reached her. "You totally humiliated me in there! All you think about is yourself. Did you even think before telling a bunch of strangers that you didn't sleep with me?"

"I was just trying to prove that I like you. You make it so fucking impossible."

"You _like_ me?" she gasped out. "That's how you want to show it?"

"I don't know! If you haven't noticed, I've never done this before!"

"That's not an excuse!" she huffed. "I've never been with an asshole rocker who thinks he's God's gift to women, but you don't see me humiliating you in public. Or better yet, sneaking out of your house and then not speaking to you for three days!" she threw back in my face.

"Well, I'm sorry, but the biggest cocktease on the planet fucked with my head, and it took me—"

" _Cocktease?_ " she roared. "I am not a—"

"Would you shut up for one minute?" I yelled right back. "Jesus! Let me talk, woman."

She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed.

"I was going to say that it took me three days to get my head back on straight, and I realized that I can't escape you."

"What does that even mean?" she asked.

I sighed. I was never one to discuss my feelings, mainly because I never had feelings to discuss. But here I was, about to tell this girl exactly how I felt, never having felt this way before.

"I've never dated, Gallagher Girl. I just never cared enough to," I said running a hand through my hair. I looked her in the eyes so she knew I was serious, and I hoped she understood the meaning behind what I was saying. "But it's different with you. I fucking care about you, Cam."

* * *

 **So not the fluff I promised, but Zach admitted to liking her (: Which is saying a lot since he's never even thought about women in a relationship kind of way before.**

 **In a way, their relationship here is somewhat similar to their relationship in the books...Zach's chasing her, Cammie is slowly coming to terms with the fact that she might like him too, and them both realizing that Cammie is and always will be the exception to Zachary Goode...and I think that's why I really like this story and I find myself really excited to share more of it with you all (: Now with that said, I am nowhere near as talented of a writer as Ally Carter, and nothing I will produce will ever amount to her level...but I can parallel and dream lol.**

 **Let me know your thoughts on how it's all turning out! Just saying, there's _a lot_ more to come, so don't fret that our two lovebirds are having a rough start...all will be okay (:**

 **Thanks again! Stay awesome!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I actually had some free time to write another chapter, so here y'all go! (: This one is from Cammie's POV. And this time, it really is those Zammie dates I promised y'all two chapters ago... So... ENJOY!**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

 **DATE TWO**

Zach and I spent the next afternoon at the movies. I had prepared myself to see one show and then head home without inviting him in this time considering I was still pretty pissed about everything that had happened. Yes, he cared about me. Yes, he liked me. Yes, he had done all these things with me that he'd never done with anyone else before. But still, the way he'd responded to it all made me want to throat-punch him.

The asshole had weaseled his way back in. I could no longer deny that I liked Zach. The three days without him had proved that, and once the anger from him humiliating me had fizzled out, I'd still wanted to see him.

Somehow, he'd managed to pick the movie I wanted to see. He'd said that it was what he wanted and that he had been dying to see it since it came out last weekend. I hadn't even told him that I liked comedies.

Zach slipped his hand into mine as we exited the theater, and he pulled me back toward him.

"What?" I asked.

"Shh," he said with a mischievous smile.

I narrowed my eyes but held my tongue. He walked us back down the hallway we had just come through. _Are we taking a back exit to the parking lot?_

When the hallway was empty, he opened up another door and gestured for me to walk inside.

My eyebrows rose. "Zach, what are we doing?"

"Just go inside."

He smacked my ass, and I glared at him.

"Come on, Gallagher Girl, play along."

I sighed and walked inside without a word.

Zach walked all the way to the back row of the empty theater, and we took seats just as whatever movie we had stumbled into started playing.

His arm came down across my shoulders, and he nuzzled my neck. "I think we should have come to this showing first," he murmured.

"Why is that?"

I should have been freaking out that we had walked into a movie without paying, but whatever he was doing to my neck was too distracting for me to care.

"I was having trouble keeping my hands to myself in that crowded theater."

"You always have trouble keeping your hands to yourself."

"You like it."

I didn't reply. His hand ran down my side, and then he pulled me into his lap.

We made out through the next two movies.

* * *

 **DATE FIVE**

Two weeks later, Zach told me to bring a bathing suit and nothing else. It was October in Virginia. _Is he out of his mind? Where the hell are we supposed to go swimming when it was forty degrees outside at night?_

Zach parked his truck outside of a hotel. _Well, there's my answer._ His friend worked at the place and had slipped him a key card to the indoor pool. After dark, Zach and I snuck inside. Actually it was more like Zach dragged me inside. _First the movies, and now breaking into a hotel swimming pool?_

"We're not _breaking in_ ," Zach tried to reassure me. "I have a key."

"That you basically stole from an employee."

"Darlin', if we get caught, I'll let them haul me off to jail. Just don't hurt my truck when I'm gone, all right?"

I rolled my eyes and slipped out of my clothes. I self-consciously covered my stomach as I stood before Zach in my blue-and-white striped bikini. He'd seen me in less, but I couldn't help it. His eyes roamed my body, and I quickly skipped into the heated pool.

What he couldn't see before, he had his hands all over as soon as he'd gotten in. "Have you ever broken into a pool before?"

"You just said we didn't break in!"

His eyes shined with amusement.

"Gah! No, I haven't."

"Ever done anything illegal?"

"I've drank alcohol before," I answered lamely.

"Drugs?"

I shook my head.

"Stolen anything?"

"Nope."

"Do you at least speed in your car?"

I smiled up at him.

"Damn, you're picture-perfect, Gallagher Girl."

"I once slapped a guy across the face for grabbing my butt at a bar," I offered with a shrug.

He responded by grabbing my ass. _Typical._

He held my slick body against his, and all I saw were the deep emerald orbs and flecks of gold catching the moonlight through the windows. He seemed more contemplative than usual. Normally, he just wanted to attack me.

"What do you like to do when you're not studying?"

"I'm always studying."

"You're not right now. Are you saying you like to do me when you're not studying?" He winked.

"Wouldn't you already know if that were the case?" I shot back.

"Indulge me, Gallagher Girl."

His lips grazed mine tenderly, and for the hundredth time since we'd decided to give this a shot, I thought that I was definitely going to let him do whatever he wanted.

"Horseback riding," I finally answered, coming to my senses. "I did it as a kid, and I almost always go when I'm at home."

"I could see you on a horse."

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing, but I kept going with his game. "I like to bake cupcakes."

"Coincidence—I like to eat cupcakes. German chocolate."

I giggled and shook my head. "I used to play piano, but my hands are too small."

He grabbed my hands and lifted them above the water. Palm-to-palm, he studied our hands before lacing our fingers together and pulling me even closer.

"Your hands are perfect."

* * *

 **DATE SEVEN**

My last class was canceled on Tuesday afternoon, which gave me free time to plan out my date. We'd been doing whatever Zach wanted for over two weeks, and I thought it was about time to plan something myself.

Bex eyed me suspiciously from behind the kitchen counter while I was baking cupcakes. After Zach's outburst in The Coffee Bean, we'd thought it best to keep everything on the down low. I wouldn't lie to my roommates about what was going on, but I wasn't exactly being forthright with information, not that that was new.

"What are you doing?" Bex asked.

"Making cupcakes."

"For whom?"

I shot her a look.

"Zach?" she offered.

I just shrugged. _What did she want me to say? Yes, I'm dating Zach. No, it isn't a big deal._

"Are you guys, like…together now?"

"Something like that."

Bex bit her lip and jumped from foot to foot. "How was the sex?"

"Can we not?" I asked, turning my back to her.

"Give a girl a break! I've been dying to have sex with him since the first time I laid eyes on him. I've heard he's amazing."

Heat pooled in my chest, and I ground my teeth together. I didn't want to think about Bex having sex with Zach or the innumerable other women who already had.

"We haven't had sex, Bex," I responded irritably.

"I mean, if you just don't want to provide details, that's fine," she said in a tone that made it seem far from fine.

I whipped around with the whisk in my hand, dripping chocolate batter onto the floor. "I'm not providing details because we haven't had sex! So, just drop it, okay?"

"Sorry," she whispered. "Touchy. I just didn't think Zach…did that."

I tried not to let her words bring out my insecurities, especially when Zach tried so hard to assure me that he wasn't just in it for sex, but it's hard when people constantly like to point out that _Zach doesn't date._ That he merely sleeps with girls and then forgets about them.

It's hard to not think _why am I different?_ Am _I even different?_

But I pushed all those fears down and reminded myself to breathe, my jaw clenching when I reluctantly told Bex, "He doesn't."

* * *

I showed up at Zach's place right after band rehearsal let out. When Grant saw me waiting outside, he snickered and punched Zach. Jonas and Aaron pulled Grant behind them, completely ignoring whatever vile comments were likely coming out of his mouth.

"Hey, babe," Zach said as he walked up to me. "What's that?" The other guys stood around apparently wondering the same thing.

"I, uh…" I began. I hadn't expected an audience. "I brought you something."

"The only thing girls ever bring Zach is pu—"

Aaron smacked Grant across the back of the head before he could finish. I just rolled my eyes and ignored him.

Zach took the box from my hands. His smile grew tenfold when he opened it up. "Cupcakes?"

"German chocolate. Your favorite."

I knew I was blushing hard, but the look on his face was worth it.

"I don't think you can fuck cupcakes," Grant said loud enough for me to hear that time.

"Then, I guess you don't want one," I snapped right back.

"Wait…" Grant said, trying to correct himself.

All three guys busted out laughing in unison.

Grant glared at them. "Shut the fuck up, assholes!"

"You walked right into that," Jonas said.

"Who said I was going to share anyway?" Zach asked.

He slid the box under one arm and his other around me. My world spun, knowing he was talking about more than just the cupcakes.

Zach devoured four cupcakes before we even made it to the concert I was taking him to. It wasn't even a far drive. I didn't think he'd said anything the whole trip besides mostly moans and groans about how good they were. I guessed the key to a man's heart really was through his stomach.

When he pulled up to the concert venue, Zach's eyes narrowed. "You're taking me to a show?"

I giggled. _Oh my God, Zach Goode makes me giggle._ "I thought you would want to see what music I like."

He hopped out of the car eagerly, and before I could walk two feet, he covered my mouth with his. His hands were on either side of my face while my fingers played with his dog tags that were perpetually around his neck. He broke away first, which was unusual.

"What was that for?" I asked, failing to hide a smile.

"Music speaks to my soul."

"So do cupcakes apparently."

He smirked. "I can see how you have an unfair advantage at this date thing. You're way better at it than me."

I laughed and shook my head. "No way."

"You've had more practice." He leaned in really close, playfully nipping my ear. "I can't wait to show you the things I have more practice with."

The concert couldn't have gone on for a second longer with the heat building between us all evening.

Once we were back at his place, we couldn't get out of the car and up the stairs fast enough. I'd never felt this blind lust before. It was both terrifying and exciting. I couldn't decide which feeling was more overpowering. I tried to tell myself to stop overanalyzing every emotion hitting my body and just enjoy _being_.

Zach had the door to his bedroom closed and me laid out on his bed in a split second. And as much as I knew he wanted to strip me down and take my body, he resisted. And even though I wanted to do the same thing, my brain knew I wasn't ready yet, so I was grateful that he seemed to get me and understand that I just needed a little more time.

 _Soon,_ my brain kept muttering as we made out on his bed through the night. _I'll be ready soon._

* * *

 **Awww, they're so cute (:**

 **I know this chapter was pretty short and not, like, _extremely_ eventful...but you get to see their relationship progressing in short snip-its as opposed to me just saying that they're developing something real and you never really getting to see it happen. Don't worry though, some drama will ensue here shortly ;)**

 **So, I need your guys' help! There was a GG story I read a while ago (maybe months, maybe years...I don't remember) that I just CAN'T FIND AGAIN! I don't know why I didn't add it to my favs list, but I was an idiot and now I regret everything! I don't remember the name, but I'm pretty sure it had to do with Zach and Cammie doing some project/performance together for a music class, and for it they sang "Good to You" by Marianas Trench...? I'm _begging_ you, if you have any idea what story I'm talking about...TELL ME THE NAME OF IT!**

 **To kind of piggy back off of that, I want to say that I'm a huge fan of so many writers/stories here on FF, and I'm feeling really good about a lot of the new stories popping up. It's like this fandom is reviving itself and I'm so freaking excited! So if you have a story idea, I encourage you to write it and post it!**

 **Thanks y'all! Your lovely reviews make my day and they're the reason I keep writing (: Stay awesome (:**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm very disappointed that I still haven't found that story I'm looking for...**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

 **DATE TEN**

This thing with Cammie—I didn't even have words for it. It was just fucking good.

I wanted to be with her more and more every single day, and every time I saw her, I felt like I was going to explode. Two weeks without sex really had me tense.

The strangest part of being with Cammie, though, was that as much as I wanted to push for more, I was having such a good time with her that sex almost didn't seem necessary. Of course, it helped that each time I thought she was going to turn me aside, she'd give just a little bit more of herself. _Like the cupcakes. She had fucking baked me cupcakes._ And the concert. I hadn't been sure what I was in for when we walked into the venue, but not only was the show surprisingly good, Cammie was totally into it, which just made it that much better.

I'd been planning to take her out dancing on Halloween, but at the last minute, Jonas had gotten news that BlackThorne was being plugged in at the exact party I had been planning to take Cammie to.

We were scheduled for the eleven o'clock slot right before the club would switch to some techno DJ for the rest of the night. Cammie and her friends showed up about fifteen minutes before our set. She was in a fitted white dress with long gloves, and she was holding an elaborate mask in her hand. I could see her from backstage, and I loved that she'd been searching for me in the crowd.

"Bro," Grant said as he took the spot next to me. "Halloween is the best fucking night of the year. So many chicks, so little clothing. I think I want a French maid, a Playboy Bunny, and a nurse all tonight."

"Good luck with that," I said.

"What are you going to take home? I saw a really hot referee."

When Cammie couldn't find me, she secured her mask back in place and turned to talk to her friends.

"I'm thinking a masked angel."

"That one?" Grant asked, pointing Cammie out.

"Yeah."

"Good choice. I'd bang her."

"No chance in hell."

The production manager popped his head backstage. "You guys are up."

It was our first show in weeks, but we got right back into our rhythm without a hitch. I played the crowd the best way I knew how. Drunken girls in lingerie were throwing themselves toward the stage, and I even heard a few screaming for me to take my clothes off. I obliged them by shrugging out of the jacket of the military fatigues I'd worn as my costume. The fans screamed even louder when I tugged up my shirt to expose my abs beneath. I laughed softly into the microphone, pulled the shirt back down, and continued on with the chorus.

"This is our last song, and I know that you'll all be so sad to see us go. This one's called 'Letting You.' Come out to our last show of the semester at The Ivy League on the Saturday after Thanksgiving."

The crowd cheered.

I found Cammie swaying and dancing all by herself in the second row. Her friends were grinding against guys who they'd found in the crowd, but she only had eyes for me. Right as we moved into the instrumental break, I pointed her out to the crowd and motioned for her to come onstage.

Her mouth dropped open, and she shook her head. I could see her mouthing, _No_ , over and over, but the crowd roared and pushed her forward. I had the masses on my side, and soon, she was hoisted up onto the stage and standing in front of me. I swung her around into a dip and kissed her in front of the sea of people.

To everyone in attendance, this was nothing more than the band putting some random girl on display for the drunken Halloween crowd. But for me, this was new territory. I hadn't picked Cammie at random. It felt more like…like I was claiming my girl.

* * *

 **DATE ELEVEN**

A week later, I picked up Cammie from school. I'd dropped her off that morning after she stayed at my place. Cammie was talking to some chick when she saw me pull up, and then she jogged over to my truck.

"Hey, Gallagher Girl."

Cammie hauled herself up into the passenger seat. "Hey. My professor loaded us up on homework because he's worried we won't cover everything before Thanksgiving. I guess we got behind a week or something. Ugh! It's going to be terrible. I don't know if I'll be able to see you all weekend."

I didn't like the sound of that. "Do you want to cancel our date?" I asked anyway.

She chewed absentmindedly on her bottom lip. "No, it's already planned."

I smiled. _Good._ She was going to love this one, and I didn't want to have to wait another week. Plus, the Weather Channel was predicting a drastic drop in temperatures over the next couple of weeks, so this might be the last chance we had.

I drove back to Cammie's place so that she could change before heading out.

"Do you want to come up?" she asked innocently.

"Babe, I don't think we have time for that," I said with a smirk.

"I wasn't…"she began and then tilted her head and stared at me funny. "Who are you, and what have you done with Zach Goode? Since when are you turning me down?"

I laughed and grabbed her chin and pulled her in close to me, our eyes locked.

"You tell me you want to have sex with me, and all plans are forgotten."

"Maybe another time," she said casually, as if her pupils hadn't dilated from my comment.

One of these days, I was going to take advantage of the situation, and then she wouldn't be the biggest cocktease I'd named her to be. But not today.

We walked inside, and as she darted into her bedroom, my phone started buzzing. Jonas.

"What's up?"

"What are you doing the second weekend in December?"

"Nothing. Why?"

Jonas sounded practically chipper. "Someone saw us at the Halloween show, and they want us to play a musical festival at a ski resort in the Poconos."

"Dude, I barely know how to ski."

"Shut up! We're talking about getting picked up for a major event."

My smile grew. It sounded like a great opportunity, and since it was late enough in the semester, maybe I could steal Cammie away with me.

 _Whoa, seriously, who the hell am I?_

Two months ago, I would have been dying to go to a ski lodge to bang a bunch of snow bunnies. _Now…Cammie._

"Babe!" I called as soon as I got off the phone with Jonas.

"My name is still Cammie!" she called right back as she stumbled into the living room.

Cammie's roommates came out of their bedrooms when they heard my voice.

"You like to ski, snow bunny?"

"Is this a euphemism for something?" she asked skeptically, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes.

"BlackThorne got picked up for a music festival in the Poconos."

"That's great!" Cammie cried with a big smile as she threw her arms around me.

I glanced at her friends, who were staring at us. "We'll have a couple of rooms the second weekend in December. Do you guys want to come to the show?"

"Oh my God!" Bex piped up. "We were just talking about going on a ski trip!"

Macey and Liz agreed, exclaiming how excited they were. Cammie, on the other hand, was rather quiet.

"Cammie?" I asked. "Please?"

"I've only been skiing in Vermont and Colorado."

I gave her a pointed look. We didn't need to hear about her rich life right now.

"Yes, that sounds fun," she amended.

The other girls grabbed her and started jumping up and down. They were already planning out way more details than I was sure Jonas had.

Once I got Cammie back into the truck, it was a forty-five minute drive to where we were going. Cammie seemed lost in thought, and I let the radio kill the silence. She perked up as soon as we entered the grounds.

"Hamilton Farms?" she gasped.

"You said you like horseback riding, right?"

She gaped at me. "I'm…wow, I'm a little speechless."

"That's a first, isn't it?"

"Zach, this means a lot." And then, she smiled one of those rare smiles reserved for me.

* * *

 **DATE THIRTEEN**

A week later, I finally got Cammie on the back of my motorcycle.

It didn't matter that I'd gotten on a half-ton animal for her or that she'd broken into a hotel swimming pool with me or that we'd made out onstage at a concert. She claimed to be utterly terrified of motorcycles.

"You won't go too fast, will you?"

"Nope." I didn't ask for clarification on what too fast meant to her.

Ready to feel the hum between my legs again, I climbed up onto it.

Cammie took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"It'll be fun. Just get on."

She threw her leg over the bike, her hands came tentatively to my waist. I grabbed them both in my hands and pulled her arms around me until her chest was flush against my back. I could feel the uptick in her heart rate.

"Just follow my lead, Gallagher Girl. Move with me."

"Okay," she whispered.

I started out slowly, but as soon as we hit the interstate, I kicked it into high gear. Soon, we were zipping past the other cars.

When we reached our destination, she stood on shaky legs, handed me the helmet, and shook out her blonde hair. "That was…not so bad."

"I knew you'd like it."

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

"But I like to," I said, pulling her close and kissing her on the lips.

"I can't believe you convinced me to do that."

"And now, we're going to work on your aim."

Her eyes lifted to the sign. I expected her to groan, shoot me an angry look, or tell me off for the very thought of bringing her to a shooting range.

Instead, a smile slowly crept across her lips. "You know…I've always wanted to fire a gun."

"What?" I asked incredulously. "You didn't want to get on a motorcycle, but you want to fire a _gun_?"

"A motorcycle could kill me! A gun in my hands would only kill someone else."

 _Kill someone else..._

Excruciating pain cracked through my skull, and I squeezed my eyes shut to ward off the blinding torture. My hand dropped down onto my bike to hold myself steady. I couldn't keep the memories from flooding back.

"Are you okay?" Cammie asked, resting her hand on mine and bringing me back to reality.

"Yeah. Sorry. Headache."

"Do you need anything? I can get you some Tylenol."

"No. I'm fine. Let's just get you out of the cold."

I ushered her inside and paid for a rental gun and extra ammo for Cammie, and then we entered our booth.

After I explained the mechanics to her, we took turns firing at the target across the room. She actually wasn't bad. I was pretty surprised since she had never held a gun before. She hadn't even seemed that freaked out. It was hot.

I finished my last round of ammo and then set the gun down.

"You're kind of amazing at this," Cammie said.

"Practice. You're damn good for a beginner."

She brightened and leaned forward for a kiss. I loved when she initiated it. It took all my control not to push her up against the wall. She was so different from the girl I'd met who had dosed my drink, yet she was the same exact person who had intrigued me. And she continued to intrigue me all the time.

Like she had grown accustomed to doing over the past couple of weeks, her fingers toyed with the dog tags around my neck. She softly kissed me once more. "Why do you always wear these?"

"Always have."

"I don't think I could picture you without them."

"I've had them since I was a kid." I wasn't sure why I'd told her that. I never talked about it with anyone, not even the guys. They thought, like Cammie, that the dog tags were just a part of me.

"Is someone in your family military?" she asked curiously.

"Yeah, my dad."

"It's so honorable to spend your life fighting for your country. Your mom must be so proud." She smiled dreamily.

"Yeah," I said tightly, my body tensing for a brief moment. "The tags remind me of the man I want to be."

* * *

 **BlackThorne is playing a major music festival! They're on the road to fame!**

 **Lol, but seriously, that's pretty cool. And the first thing Zach thought of was bringing Cammie along... awwwwwww!**

 **If any of you read CammieAMorgan's story _Something Missing_ , then you've already heard that Ally Carter has announced that A GALLAGHER GIRLS FILM COULD BE IN THE WORKS! Guys...literally, all of our dreams are coming true *eeeeeeeee***

 **So, Zach has a secret...a sort of skeleton in the closet, if you will. And you thought this was just going to be a typical bad-boy-good-girl love story ;P I don't know if any of my amazing readers have caught it before, but Zach has mentioned I think a few times about escaping his past or drowning out his memories through adrenaline (i.e. alcohol, drugs, his motorcycle, the band, the girls, etc...), so this secret of his is, like, _kind of a big deal_ because it's literally shaped him into this person who doesn't really care about others or himself and just focuses on finding something that makes him feel something other than the pain. So now you have that to look forward to, as well (:**

 **HUGE thanks to all my readers and supporters! (: I feel like every chapter gets more and more reviews so that's freaking awesome :D Y'all are amazing!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Did anybody ask for drama? No? Oh well, you got some anyway...enjoy ;P**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

 **DATE FIFTEEN**

A few days later, I awoke to the sound of someone banging loudly on the front door. I groggily opened my eyes and took a look at the clock. Four forty-five in the morning. _Why is someone knocking on the door this early?_

Everyone else in my place slept like a rock. I doubted they'd even heard the knocking. _Ugh!_ I pulled my blanket over my head and hoped the person would leave if no one answered.

But I was out of luck. The knocking started again.

After hopping out of bed, I threw on a pair of sweats and trudged into the living room. The knocking started again just as I reached the door. I peered through the hole and sighed. _This feels familiar._

"Zach, what are you doing here?" I asked with a yawn.

"I tried to call you."

"Not sure you checked the time right. It's almost five a.m., not five p.m."

"I know. Get dressed. We have places to be," he said, stepping through the door, uninvited.

"I'm not going anywhere this early. Are you out of your mind?"

He shook his head and started dragging me to my bedroom. "Bundle up. It's cold outside."

When he turned his back, I crawled back into bed and closed my eyes. Zach noticed me and chuckled. He laid down beside me, and I rested my head on his arm.

"You're going to be difficult, aren't you?" he asked.

"I like having you here," I said softly.

"So, early mornings are when I can get you tell me these kinds of things?"

I yawned again. "You're comfortable. Don't leave."

"Cammie, we have places to be."

"Yep. Asleep. In your arms."

Zach sighed and wrapped an arm around me. I snuggled closer to him and felt myself drifting off so easily.

His hand slipped under my T-shirt and ran along my skin. "God, Cammie, I love your body," he whispered into my hair.

His thumb ran along the curve of my chest. I groaned faintly, and I let my lips find the sensitive spot on his neck, trailing light kisses up to his ear. Taking that as encouragement, his hand tucked into the waistband of my sweats.

I was now fully awake. "Zach," I whimpered, clutching his T-shirt. It wasn't fair that he could get me this riled up.

He didn't respond. He just rolled me onto my back and captured my lips in a searing kiss. His hands were everywhere at once, sending butterflies through my stomach. He was pressing against the thin material of my pants, and I could feel his arousal.

A tremor ran through me. My legs slid to either side of his and squeezed against his hips. One of his hands grabbed me and thrusted us closer together.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. This was happening. I could just…do this.

"I…I want to," I whispered, stalling Zach.

"You do?" The eagerness in his voice was evident.

Then, my brain stopped my body. "I just…I'm not sure right now."

"Cammie," he groaned.

Embarrassment hit me. I wanted to be with Zach, yet I couldn't shut my brain off enough to just be with him. We'd been at this for more than two months, and it was absolutely nothing like any other relationship I'd been in. There was no power struggle, no checklist going off in my mind, and no daily reminder to enjoy myself. I just _did_ with Zach. It made no sense to me that things could be this perfect with a guy and I still couldn't allow myself to be with him.

When I didn't say anything else, Zach rolled off of me and out of bed. He adjusted himself in front of me, not bothering to cover up. He wanted me to see what I'd done to him.

"You're awake now, so let's go. We have places to be," he said stiffly.

I swung my legs over the side of the bed. "Where are we going this early?"

"You'll see, Gallagher Girl. You know how much I like surprises."

Once I was bundled up enough for Zach's approval, we piled into his truck, and he started driving us away.

Zach shook me some time later, and I woke up, my head resting against the cold window.

"Hey, sleepyhead, time to get up."

I rubbed my eyes and groggily sat up. "Where are we?"

He just smirked and hopped out of his truck. Tucking a handful of blankets under his arm, he helped me down and took my hand. As we left the parking lot behind, I took in my surroundings—squat buildings, sea salt in the air, sand peppering the ground under my feet. Then, we turned a corner, and all I could see stretched out before me was the dark blue water of the Atlantic Ocean.

"The shore?"

"I used to come out here when I was in high school and watch the sunrise from the beach. I still drive out here sometimes when I need to think. It's always been my place of solace. I thought it could be yours, too."

I just stared at him. _Who is this man?_ When I had first meet him, all I'd seen was what was on the outside—playboy, manwhore, drunk, asshole, misogynist, rocker. But this Zach, the one he didn't show to the rest of the world, was so much more than that.

"You hate it?"

"No! I love it," I said quickly. "You're just…not what you seem."

"I would generally disagree with that."

"How many people have you brought to the beach?"

Zach kissed me softly. "One."

"Why are you sharing this with me?" I couldn't help asking.

He shrugged and looked sincerely concerned about the question. It was clear that he hadn't really thought about it, and now that he was, he wasn't sure about the answer. "You make me want to share everything with you, Gallagher Girl."

"But I didn't do anything."

He smiled down at me and led me out into the sand without a reply. He spread out a blanket for us to sit on and then wrapped us up in a few more as we huddled together.

After a few minutes of silence, Zach spoke again. "You did everything."

I looked up at him silently, waiting.

"I don't know how to explain it. When I'm with you, I don't feel anything."

I glared at him. _Is that supposed to be encouraging?_

"No, not like that." He sighed. "I'm not a good guy. I've never cared about anything. The only thing that made me feel something was adrenaline—my motorcycle, the band, the girls. They were a temporary fix on my permanent lack of caring for anything and everything."

"You care about the band…and the guys."

"I know. I mean…I guess I mean I don't care about me. What happens to me. At least I didn't until you."

He laced our fingers together, and we sat in the silence of his confession until the sun first broke the surface. Orange and pink rays cut across the early morning sky, and then we were kissing. My fingers tangled in his hair as his hands laid me back on the blanket. Our breaths came out short and frantic as we grappled with the rising emotions flooding our bodies.

"Cammie, I want you," he groaned against my lips.

I responded by pressing myself against him. I wanted him, too.

Wasting no time, Zach found the waistline of my pants, and he began tugging them down my body. I heard the zipper on his jeans, and suddenly he was free of the restraining material. I squirmed, wanting him so desperately but knowing deep down that I should tell him before anything happened.

Zach felt me tense, and he stopped. "I have a condom," he said, assuming that was my concern.

"I'm sorry," I said, feeling embarrassed. "I just…I, um…" _Shit, I don't know how to say it._ "I just never thought my first time would be outside…on the ground…in the freezing cold."

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

"First time?"

 _Shit! Fuck!_

I quickly straightened myself up and took two steps back in the sand. _Why didn't I see this coming? Why the_ fuck _didn't I see all the signs?_ I'd assumed her innocence had something to do with bad experiences with other guys. I'd thought I could crack open the shell encasing her. I'd thought that she would see that it was okay to be with me.

 _But damn…_

 _Virgin?_

That was a big _hell no_ in my book. Most dudes liked virgins. They got off on the idea of taking someone's purity, claiming her innocence. _Not me. Not ever._

Cammie's eyes were wide as she stared up at me expectantly. And I had no fucking clue what to do. Instincts told me to back away slowly and then get the hell out of here. This was a shitty situation. I'd slept with dozens of girls. I shouldn't be the one to take this from her.

"I should have told you earlier," she said, tugging her clothes back on. She stood and crossed her arms over her chest, avoiding eye contact.

"Why didn't you?" I demanded.

Her hurricane eyes turned to me and clouded over instantly. "I wasn't going to tell you at first because I didn't think we would end up here. Then, the further and further we progressed in…whatever this is, I just couldn't force the words out."

"You should have told me." For some reason, it was the only thing I could think about. "Do you know how many times I've tried to have sex with you, and you could have easily told me?"

"Yes!" she cried. "Yes, I know. _I know!_ I'm sorry."

I couldn't believe we were arguing about this. I couldn't believe this was happening. I should have been fucking ecstatic that Cammie wanted to have sex with me and that she was being honest with me. It meant that I could have her just like I'd been wanting since day one. But I kept pushing that thought away, and instead I focused on the fact that I would have to start from square one.

It would be awkward, uncomfortable, and even painful for her. _Would she cry? Would I hurt her? Jesus, I'd never cared enough about a girl to wonder if I was going to hurt her._

"I feel like an idiot…like I should have known."

"What? Should I have had _virgin_ stamped on my forehead or something?"

I could tell she was getting irritated, and for some reason, that made me irritated, too.

"Get it fucking tattooed to your forehead. That would have been a better indicator."

"Well, sorry!" she snapped. "I didn't think I'd be in this _condition_ forever."

"How the hell have you been in this condition for this long?"

"I'm nineteen!"

"I had sex at fifteen!"

" _I'm_ not a whore!" she screamed back in my face.

"Babe, please, I prefer manwhore."

She angrily ground her teeth together. "You're such an asshole."

I couldn't keep it together. I was fucking it all up, but I couldn't stop. _Would I have continued to pursue her had I known? In the beginning, fuck no. After I'd gotten to know her…I don't know._

 _Yes._

I hadn't lied when I said Cammie made me stop feeling all the negative—all the pain. She helped push back the memories. She helped me without even trying. She makes me a better person. And I thought, in turn, I made her a better person. She might be perfect on the outside, but I'd expanded her universe.

I wanted to tell her all of this, to drop down to my knees in the sand and let her know everything I was feeling. Instead, I just stood there, letting my confusion and frustration get the better of me.

"And you know what? Since you're so set on being a manwhore," she spat the word back at me, "it's probably in my best interest _not_ to sleep with you. It's not like _this_ is anything like a relationship. I'm sure you've been sleeping with everything that walks when we haven't been together anyway!"

Yes, I'm proud of my manwhore status. But I couldn't let her think that I was with other girls. Not when she was it for me. And the fact that she assumed so irritated me even more. "Cam, I haven't been with anyone else since the day we fucking met!" I shouted.

"What?" she asked, stunned.

"Yeah. You ruined me."

"But you were gone for a week, and the guys made it seem like—"

"I lied!" I blurted. "I fucking lied to them. I've been lying to them this whole time because I didn't want to look like a pussy."

She stared at me in shock. "You really haven't been with anyone else…since _September?_ "

"I haven't gone this long without sex since…ever."

"Well, that's reassuring," she mouthed-off sarcastically.

"Cammie," I sighed, running a hand through my hair. It was time to tell her everything I'd been holding back, everything I should have said to begin with instead of freaking out on her for being a virgin. "Virgin or not, I've waited for you this long. I can keep waiting."

"Zach…" she said, releasing some of her anger with a sigh of her own.

"I'm not going to fuck this up, Cam. Obviously, I'm no good at this. I've never done this before. I've never been a…boyfriend. But ever since the first time we met, I haven't been able to get you out of my head. I'm _not_ going to fuck this up."

"Zach Goode, did you just call yourself my boyfriend?" Cammie whispered.

I tugged the dog tags over my head and then closed the distance between us. "Gallagher Girl, you haven't figured that out by now?"

She took in a deep shuddering breath. "I didn't want to assume anything."

"Assume away."

I placed the dog tags around her neck. She fingered them loosely in her hand. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise.

"Now, everyone else will, too."

* * *

 **So they didn't sleep together...BUT THEY'RE OFFICIALLY A COUPLE! And they're both starting to realize just how much the other means to them...which is a lot (:**

 **Guys...this is huge! Neither character has actually experienced true emotions when it comes to the opposite sex, so the fact that they're both, like, really into each other is saying something.**

 **I had a few questions regarding Grant and Bex's characters...and basically my answer is _yes, they're shitty friends_ and _no, I don't hate them._ They are simply written this way in the original story, so therefor they're total asshats here. I thought long and hard about it, and I've decided that I'll try to make Bex a better friend to Cammie, because she's one of my favorite characters and I think she deserves better! Just not next chapter... sorry.**

 **Grant is still going to be a dick because he needs to be for the storyline, and I kind of like him this way. No apologies there.**

 **Anyway, big thanks and love the support you guys give me! Stay awesome (:**


	12. Chapter 12

**Still haven't found that FF story...**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

"Where the hell did you go this morning?" Bex asked when I finally made it back to my place.

I still had an hour before my first class, but I knew there was no way I would be going back to sleep.

"Uh…" The words stalled on my tongue. I'd been so secretive about everything with Zach up until this point that it felt strange to be able to just freely divulge what had happened. It was kind of…exciting. "Zach picked me up."

"At five in the morning?"

"He drove us down the shore, and we watched the sunrise."

Bex just stood there with her eyes narrowed. "Zach Goode?"

At that moment, Liz walked in with a yawn. "Why are you guys so loud? Wasn't the five a.m. wake-up call enough?"

"Cammie is trying to tell me that Zach Goode picked her up at five o'clock in the morning just to drive her down to the shore to see the sunrise," Bex exclaimed, cocking an eyebrow at me.

"That's so romantic!" Liz gushed.

"It sounds like bullshit to me. That doesn't sound like Zach at all," Bex argued.

"Well, I've never been particularly romantic, so I don't think I could make something like that up," I told her flatly.

"Bex, the yelling," Macey called, stumbling into the living room and collapsing on the couch.

"Did you hear?" Bex asked her.

"How could I not?" Macey grumbled.

I crossed my arms and waited for them to shut up. I knew it had been completely unlike Zach to do anything like that. He had been the first person to admit that, but it had still happened. "Are you through?" I asked, cutting off whatever Bex was about to say to Macey.

"Wait, you're serious?" she asked me instead.

"Pretty serious." I held up the dog tags still hanging around my neck. "I'd say he's my boyfriend."

All three girls went silent, their eyes fixed on the dog tags. I was pretty sure I'd just shocked the shit out of them. Then again, the entire thing had surprised me, too.

 _Zach Goode is my boyfriend._ I had to mull it over for a bit to get used to the idea.

"You're dating Zach Goode?" Liz said to break the silence.

"Um…yeah. Well, we've been dating since September, but I guess it's official now." I shrugged.

Bex blinked away her shock. "Girl, I'm excited for you. I'm just…wow. How did this happen?"

"We almost had sex."

"You haven't had sex yet?" Bex gasped.

"Bex," I said, rolling my eyes.

"To her credit, Cammie," Macey said, "it's been _months._ Zach isn't known to keep it in his pants for more than a few hours."

"He hasn't been with anyone else since we started talking."

The disbelieving stares I received were enough to make my stomach flop. _He wouldn't lie to me about that, would he?_

Bex glanced at the other girls and then back at me. "I don't want to be a Debbie-Downer or anything. If Zach is your boyfriend and you want it, then I'm ecstatic…"

"But?"

"But he does have a reputation, Cammie."

Macey jumped in. "We just don't want to see you get hurt."

 _Well, this is going great._ "I know his reputation, considering _I_ was the only one in this household who didn't fall head over heels every time he walked into the room. Maybe you remember that the first time I met him, I drugged him to try to get him to stay away from me. You were the ones pushing me toward him. I know you don't want me to get hurt, but you can't just get all concerned BFF when it actually works out."

Bex sighed. "Well, I just have one question."

"What?"

"Does this mean I get to see more of Grant?"

We all broke down into giggles.

"Yes, I'm sure it means that."

We spent the rest of the morning talking about the upcoming ski trip. I was really ready to just get through finals so that we could get away. I loved school, and I worked hard, but I'd never really had something like this to look forward to. I always just jetted off back to Nebraska to see my family.

Bex, of course, was making it a much bigger event than just the four of is traveling up to the Poconos with Zach and the band. From the sounds of it, she had invited everyone that she knew whether they liked BlackThorne's music or not. I didn't really care, though, as long as Zach and the girls were there.

We had talked for so long that I had lost track of time, and I was running late to calculus.

I had barely made it through the door in time, Zach's dog tags jangling around my neck as I found the last available seat. We had a pop quiz, and after hearing everyone's reactions, I seemed to be the only person prepared for it.

Soon, I was rushing to the chemistry building, also barely making it into the room on time before sitting in my regular seat.

Tina took the seat next to me and then started messing around on her laptop. She had been acting strange toward me ever since I freaked out on her about Zach and I not having sex. Tina and I weren't close to begin with, but we did have mutual friends, and I didn't want it to be awkward at the ski lodge.

"Bex was telling me that you're coming to the BlackThorne show in the Poconos!" I was terrible with false enthusiasm, but I was trying.

"Yep."

"Have you ever been skiing before?"

"Once."

 _Seriously? One word replies?_ I took a deep breath. "That's great. I'm rooming with the girls. Are you rooming with your friend Kimberly?"

Tina shot me a disbelieving look. "You're not staying with Zach?"

I fiddled with his dog tags, and her eyes were instantly drawn to them.

"Oh, no, he's staying with the guys."

"Huh." She thought for a moment, and then a smile brightened her face. "Yeah, I'm staying with Kimberly, Eva, and Anna. We're really looking forward to it actually. BlackThorne has never played a venue this big before. Did you know that?"

I shook my head. _Well, now she's talkative._

"Yeah. They played a show in the city that was pretty big, but the music festival is by far the biggest lineup. They'll get to hang out with other celebrities. They could even get picked up there. It's a great opportunity. I mean, I'd be sad if they had to tour the country, but it would be worth it. They're so amazing."

 _Tour the country? Let's not get ahead of ourselves._ They had been picked up on a whim for the Poconos music festival when someone saw them at the Halloween show, and that show had only happened because another band had dropped out of the lineup.

 _No need to jump too many steps forward._ I'd just gotten Zach. I didn't want him to leave to tour the country. I knew what the groupies were like here. I couldn't imagine how much worse they'd be if BlackThorne got signed.

 _Good Lord, Bex's pity warnings are getting to me._ Zach and I had been official for less than three hours, and I was already doubting everything.

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

The week of Thanksgiving, Cammie left to visit her family in Nebraska. I spent the time with my guitar.

Music lifted me up, tore me open, infused others with my very being, and then healed all our wounds. For a very long time, it had been what made my world spin—the only reason for living.

But I'd never been particularly good with lyrics. I knew what I wanted to say, but that would never translate to what I actually wrote. When Jonas wrote songs, they had a life force, a beating heart, and inherent energy. Yet, when I sat down to try to make that happen, I would end up tossing out more pieces of paper than were left in the notebook.

All of a sudden, though, it was as if I couldn't shut my brain off. The voices were there, incessantly calling for me to give them meaning. Every time I ignored them, they would come back full force until it was all I could do to get the words down.

When I handed the sheets of paper to Jonas on our first day back to rehearsal, he looked at me like I was mental.

"Who'd you steal this from?"

"Your mother."

"And here I thought you reserved Mom jokes for Grant."

"I'm happy Zach is banging someone else's mom for once," Grant chimed in. "Or someone other than that Cammie girl, at least."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, bro. She's the only chick you've been paying any attention to lately," Grant said.

I shrugged and slung my guitar over my head. "And?"

"And…" Grant glanced sat Jonas and Aaron for support.

Jonas just ignored him, and Aaron looked half-baked in the back of the garage.

"Bro, you're a fucking king, a fucking legend. You've banged more chicks than anyone else. Your reputation is fucking off the charts. What the fuck are people going to say if you give all that up for some bitch?"

"Grant," Jonas warned.

I didn't know what happened. I just reacted. I grabbed Grant by the front of his shirt and threw him into the nearest wall. "I'm going to tell them to mind their own fucking business."

Jonas and Aaron were there in a split second. I hadn't even realized that Aaron could move that fast in his state. Soon, they had my arms behind my back and were hauling me away from Grant. My own brother, and I had been ready to destroy him over one dipshit comment.

I shrugged the guys off of me and ran a hand back through my hair. I needed to get my shit under control.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Grant yelled.

"Why the hell are you provoking him?" Jonas asked. "You've known he's been with the same chick for a while."

"Stay out of this, Jonas," Grant snapped. He took a step forward and got in my face. "You think she's changed you? I've known you since you were twelve fucking years old. You've been scamming girls into sleeping with your dumbass for nearly as long. And now, you're getting up in my face for pointing that shit out?"

I wanted to punch him. I wanted to fucking lay him on his jacked-up ass. I wanted to bury him with his words. He lived in my house. He played in my band. He could learn how to treat a brother.

"I don't need to hear this shit." I turned and walked toward the door.

"You're just going to back down and walk away?" Grant taunted me.

"I'm going to get the fuck out of here before I beat the shit out of you."

"All of this over one chick?"

I stopped with my hand on the doorknob. "Just think, Grant. More girls for you."

* * *

Shit was still tense between Grant and me backstage at the next BlackThorne show. We'd rehearsed during the last week, but there had been no chance of us trying my new song when neither of us could see eye-to-eye on anything. It was our last show before the Poconos music festival, and we couldn't even agree on a set for tonight.

A part of me refused to see reason in what Grant had said. I could do whatever the hell I wanted with whomever I wanted. If that meant I was spending all my time with Cammie and not fucking dumb useless chicks, then I was entitled to that choice. But the other part of me saw exactly what Grant had spouted. _Could someone do a complete one-eighty in a couple of months?_ I was fighting with my best friend, a guy I considered family. I wasn't smoking or sleeping around with groupies. All because of her. _Is she even worth all that?_

It was _Cammie_. I wanted to say yes. I'd told her she was worth waiting for, but just hearing Grant talk about it had made me second-guess everything I'd offered her at the beach. I was some uneducated jackass with no future and more than a few skeletons in my past. My reputation was warranted because the line of girls I'd banged stretched from one end of the state to the other. Had I actually changed? Or did I just want to believe I had for her?

And just thinking about all of that fucked with my mind.

I should have been preparing myself to go onstage for our show. Instead, I was drinking like a fish backstage, trying not to think about how much of a fuck-up I was. I'd gone onstage wasted before, but my heart had been into it. Right now, the only thing my heart was into was the bottle in my hands.

"Hey, babe, you got a light?" I asked a chick standing near me.

Her round blue eyes stared up at me with admiration, and all I saw was her ample cleavage.

She fished in her purse and produced a lighter. "Let me do that for you," She cupped her hand around the cigarette hanging between my lips and then flicked the Zippo to light it.

"Thanks, darlin'."

I pulled a drag on the cigarette and then breathed the smoke out into her face. I preferred to smoke weed, but I hadn't gone to see my guy in, like, over a month, so this would have to do.

"Anytime," she said.

She wasn't even offended that I'd just blown smoke into her face. She was actually leaning into me. _Damn, chicks are so easy._

"What are you doing later?" she asked.

 _Not her—that's for damn sure._ "You know, you have a familiar face."

The girl scrunched up her nose. "I've been to all your shows."

"Oh, yeah?" I breathed in and puffed out the smoke into her familiar face again.

She nodded slowly and placed her hand on my chest. _Yeah, so not happening._ There was bleached hair where there should have been a natural gold, and bright eyes were there should have been hurricane blue.

"Huh. You know Cammie Morgan by any chance?"

The girl straightened, flustered. "Cammie?" she snapped. "I think we have classes together," she said with a shrug. "Blonde, kind of weird, always with some guy. Josh, I think?"

I stumbled a step backward. _What the fuck?_ _No way. No fucking way. Not my Gallagher Girl._ A pang of jealousy shot through my chest. I hadn't been with anyone else since fucking September, and Cammie had still been seeing her ex-boyfriend? I thought I'd gotten rid of Jimmy on day one.

"Are you okay?" she asked, her chest pressing into my arm.

"Fine. Just got a show tonight," I said, passing her my beer without thinking.

I walked away to find Jonas. Cammie wasn't supposed to be at the show until we started performing, so I couldn't even fucking ask her what was going on. That wasn't something I could do through a text message.

"You ready to go?" Jonas asked when I finally found him outside.

"Yeah."

"You look completely fucked up. Are you even going to be able to play?" He sounded furious.

"Bro, lay off. I can fucking play this set blindfolded, high as a kite."

Jonas shook his head. "Well, you can't sing with this in your mouth." He took the cigarette from me and stubbed it out under his foot. "And if you don't get your head out of your ass about the shit Grant said, then I'm going to cancel tonight."

"You can't fucking cancel!"

"I can do whatever I want! I book the shows. I write the songs. I keep your dumbasses in line. You have feelings for Cammie. She'd knocked some humanity into you. Don't let Grant convince you that's a bad thing. That would make you even more of an idiot than you already are, and I don't want to see what that would do to my best friend."

"I think she's seeing someone else," I confided.

"Shit. You sure? You talked to her about this?"

"Nah, man."

Jonas glared at me. "Play our set, and then talk to your damn girl. Don't jump the gun and mess this up, Zach. You mess this up for no good reason, and you'll regret it."

* * *

 **Jonas is _so_ underrated in this fandom, but I get it, we don't know much about him from the books other than he's a super genius so it's hard. That's why he's one of my favorite characters, because I can shape him into whoever I want (:**

 **I love when Zach expresses feelings of inadequacy. I don't know if they're ever truly expressed in the books, but I just feel like he has a million self-doubts because of his mom and how he was taught at Blackthorne, you know? Like, I'm pretty sure he doesn't believe he's a good guy until, like, the fourth or fifth book.** **Or maybe that's just my perception. ANYWAY, I like when he's insecure. It's cute.**

 **Thanks a bunch for all your support! Your reviews make my day!**

 **Question...do you want me to respond to your reviews here in the A/N or maybe a PM? I've done it before, but it's been a while. Let me know!**

 **Also, I'm starting a new thing where I choose my favorite line from any of the books...just because the books are fan-freaking-tastic and who wouldn't want to reminisce about them?**

 _"Come on, Gallagher Girl—a school in the middle of nowhere for troubled boys with no other place to go? You_ know _what this place is."_ **Ally Carter, Only the Good Spy Young**


	13. Chapter 13

**Based off of the reviews, I've come to the conclusion that everyone loves Jonas.**

 **Last chapter ended with Cammie being unsure of their new relationship because of how people responded to it, and Zach being told by some random girl that Cammie was still seeing Josh...draaaammmmaaaa! So, here we'll see what happens with that, and that's super exciting (:**

 **I forgot to mention last chapter that we'll be meeting Zach's cousin Sydney in this one, so that's exciting, too!**

 **This is just an exciting chapter. Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

I was running late. Gah! I hated being late to anything. I'd barely even seen Zach this week since I'd been back in town. Now, I was showing up late to the last BlackThorne show of the semester.

Bex, Macey, and Liz had left for the show an hour ago, but I'd _had_ to finish my calculus assignment that was due on Monday, so I could spend all day tomorrow studying for chemistry. I was clearly a shit girlfriend.

Zach's dog tags clattered around my neck as I jogged across the parking lot and into The Ivy League. Just by catching a few chords, I knew that they were already on the third or fourth song. I eased my way through the crowd, using Macey in her sky-high heels as a guide.

"Sorry," I said when I finally reached them.

"You missed 'Hemorrhage,'" Bex shouted over the cheers.

I shrugged apologetically. "But at least the homework is done."

"You're insane."

 _Like Bex is one to talk._

I turned my attention away from my friends. There were more important things to look at. When I glanced up at Zach, he was staring right at me. His gaze burned through me like a firecracker, igniting every inch of my body. I flushed at the intensity, but I didn't dare look away. There was something in his posture, in his stare, that was stripping me bare.

Being without him for a week had made me realize that I'd been living in a bubble my whole life. I loved my parents and my brother Dillion, but the world was more than the kind of job I had, the kind of car I drove, and how big my house was. I'd felt stuffy and restricted in the world I'd always felt most comfortable in.

Maybe I wasn't part of Zach's world—a world run by how high someone could get on the next adrenaline rush—but I wasn't part of mine anymore either. I'd never thought I'd be comfortable in a middle ground, not that I'd ever even given myself an option.

Zach ended the set, and then without a backward glance, he stormed offstage with his guitar still slung around his shoulder. _Odd._ He was never careless with equipment and certainly not his baby.

"What's up with him?" Macey asked. "He didn't seem into that at all."

"What?"

He seemed into it to me, but now that I was thinking about it, Zach hadn't been invested in the crowd like he normally was.

"Your boy looked bloody fucked," Bex said. "I wonder what he's on."

"He's probably just had a few drinks."

"More like a bottle to drink, if not something harder," Bex said.

I looked back toward the stage where the rest of the band was slowly making their way off, confused as the rest of us on what just happened.

"I'll meet up with you guys later," I told my friends before making my way to the stairs on the side of the stage.

I hopped up to the top and then was stopped by solid muscle.

"Band only, sweetheart," Grant said.

"Oh, Grant, it's just me, Cammie," I said with a smile.

Grant shrugged, ignoring me. _What the…?_

"Grant, let her through," Jonas said, shaking his head.

"Fine."

Grant stepped aside, and I darted past him with a glare. I didn't know what that had been about, but I was too focused on Zach to care.

No one was standing around in the backstage hallway.

I walked down to the break room and knocked on the closed door. "Zach, are you in there?"

There was no answer, but I knocked again just to be sure. "Zach!"

The door swung open. "Get in here," he growled.

I jerked at his tone. _What the hell is wrong with him? And why did he look so angry? Did I misinterpret what he had been feeling onstage?_

"Cammie, now."

The way he'd said that made me want to plant my feet on the ground, grit my teeth, and act as stubborn as possible. "Don't order me around."

"I don't have time for your shit right now, Cammie. Get inside. We need to talk."

My heart sank, and my stomach dropped. Every thought I'd had up until this moment flitted out of my head. _We need to talk._ I'd heard that before. _Is he going to break up with me? Had our time apart been the time he needed to see that this was a mistake?_ I'd always been strangely detached from my relationships, especially from my breakups, but just the thought of Zach leaving me made me feel like I was being fed through a meat grinder.

I struggled for that neutrality, for a shred of my indifference. I needed it, because when he broke my heart, I wouldn't just be walking away with the feeling of disappointment that he'd looked good on paper or filled a checklist. I'd be walking away shattered, destroyed, and empty, knowing I'd given him a piece of myself that I'd never known I could give.

Somehow, I made it into the cramped break room, and Zach closed the door.

"What do we need to talk about?" I knew I sounded anxious. Hell, I _was_ anxious.

Zach was staring at me with that same power he'd had onstage, but now, I saw what the girls had been saying. He was definitely drunk, if not high, and he looked pissed.

"You know what this is about."

"Don't play games with me, Zach. Say what you have to say." _If you want to break up with me, do it already._

"You've been seeing someone else, Gallagher Girl? You've been with that ex of yours?" he growled.

I was so blindsided by his comment that I just laughed. I shouldn't have. It clearly just made him angrier, but it was such a ludicrous suggestion that there was nothing else for me to do.

"This isn't fucking funny!"

"You think I'm _cheating_ on you?" I covered my mouth with my hand to keep from laughing again. "Dear Lord, please explain to me how it makes sense that I would be cheating on you, the self-proclaimed manwhore."

"What? Because you're a virgin, you can't be seeing someone else?" he asked.

"God, how drunk are you?"

"Just answer me straight, Cam."

"No, Zach. I don't remember the last time I saw my ex. Actually, I might have been with you. Why do you think I'm seeing someone else? Have I ever made you think that?"

Zach rubbed his hands over his eyes. "I don't know."

"You don't know? Or no?" I prompted. _He better be messing with me._

"I don't fucking know, Cammie! Someone told me that she sees you with your ex all the time. What am I supposed to think?

"Who told you that?"

"I don't know. Some girl."

"So, you just believe some strange girl who is probably trying to get in your pants instead of me?" I asked in disbelief. "Did I miss the part where I became your girlfriend?"

Zach cleared the distance between us in a second. He grabbed my shoulders roughly and stared down into my eyes as if he was trying to find the truth buried within. I'd never lied to him, and I didn't want anyone else. I knew it was crazy. I knew we didn't really make sense, but it was what had happened, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

"You're mine?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, Zach. I'm your girlfriend."

"No, Cammie, you're _mine._ "

It wasn't a question, and I didn't have to respond for him to know that I agreed.

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

The next week was hell for Cammie during finals. I barely saw her, but at least I had the ski trip to look forward to. Grant and I worked out everything that had happened between us. He'd admitted that he wasn't actually pissed that I'd found a girl, but it kind of sucked that he no longer had a wingman. If I wasn't chasing ass, then he was kind of screwed over in that department. There wasn't much I could do there, but it helped knowing what was up. And maybe I hadn't changed, but the thought of Cammie with someone else had knocked the nonsense out of me.

With Grant on board again, we started on my new song. They guys liked it enough that they wanted to use it in the lineup for the music festival. Jonas thought it might draw some attention from label scouts. I wasn't holding my breath after the last incident.

I was just happy to get away with my girl and my friends.

Two days before we were supposed to leave, I received a call from Sydney.

"Hey, cuz. Pick me up from Richmond on Thursday."

"Find your own way. I've got plans."

"Cancel them. I'm going to come visit before I go home for break."

"I can't cancel, Syd. We're playing the Poconos music festival."

"Poconos, eh? Grant going with you?" she asked with a giggle.

"He's still in the band, last I checked," I said dryly.

"Change of plans. Pick me up, and take me with you."

"You are _not_ coming with me to the Poconos."

"So, my flight gets in around eleven in the morning. Don't park. I'll just meet you outside. Are you going to be in your big, black, jacked-up truck?" she singsonged.

"It's blue."

"Whatever. Eleven o'clock. See you then." And she hung up on me.

I told Cammie that Sydney was coming with us, and she was excited to meet her. I didn't know how to prepare her for my cousin. Sydney was really one of a kind.

I stopped by Cammie's place Thursday morning on my way out of town. The guys were driving the van out around noon, and Cammie and her group of friends were leaving around the same time. I'd meet them there after I stopped in Richmond.

"Come in!" someone called after I knocked on the door.

"I could have been a burglar or a murderer," I said. "You just letting anyone inside without seeing who it is?"

"We let you in," Cammie said, walking out of her bedroom.

Her blonde hair was tied up into a tight ponytail that I was looking forward to using as leverage this weekend—or at least, that was the goal.

"Darlin', I'm no stranger."

"You're going to be if you keep calling me that." She closed the distance between us.

I bent down like I was going to kiss her, but instead, I grabbed her legs and wrapped them around my waist. She latched on to me as I carried her into her bedroom.

"What are you doing?" she demanded, sounding only half-irritated.

"You keep talking back to me, woman, and I'll have to put you in your place."

Cammie laughed at me. "Put me in my place? And where exactly would that be?"

"Do you want me to show you?" I asked, sliding my hand up her thigh.

She squirmed and tried to get out of my grasp, but I had her secured against me. Her eyes fluttered closed, and I chuckled softly at how easy she was to rile up. Her reaction was only turning me on. I'd be happy to show her _exactly_ where her place was.

Lowering her to the floor, I kissed her lips hard and quick. "That's your place, Gallagher Girl."

Her pupils were dilated, and I could tell she was fighting with herself for the right reaction. She bit down on her lip to stop herself from spitting out whatever she was thinking.

"I've got to go soon," I told her with regret.

"Oh right, Sydney."

"I just have one question." I hooked my fingers into the loops of her jeans.

"What's that?"

"Are you bringing something sexy for me?"

" _That's_ your question?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah, babe, I want to see you in some lingerie. Shit, I'd die a happy man."

"Even if I brought some with me, how do you know you'd even get to see it?" she asked, teasing me.

"Who else would you show it off to?"

"I thought I'd wear it to the show and see if I got any attention."

The glint in her eye was hot as hell. The very thought of someone else seeing my girl in lingerie got my blood boiling.

"Oh, you'd get some attention all right," I said, yanking on her belt loops. "I'd take you right there in front of everyone. I'd let every one of those fuckers who paid you any attention see who you belonged to."

She rolled her pretty blue eyes at me. "Voyeur much?"

"I just want to be inside you."

"I know." Her tough-girl routine wavered, and she smiled up at me innocently. "I…I want you, too."

"So forward, Gallagher Girl. If we had more time, I'd let you have your way with me. Unfortunately, I have to pick up my crazy-ass cousin. You'll have to wait to ravage my body."

"Whatever will I do with myself in the mean time?"

"Masturbate while you think about me. It helps," I said with a wink.

"Oh my God, why do I even like you?" She pushed away from my chest, but only made it two steps back before I had my arms around her again.

"Because you can't resist my charm."

"Is that what you call this obnoxious, persistent Neanderthal routine?"

"It worked on you."

Cammie shook her head and shoved me toward the door. "Go see your cousin. We'll discuss your _charm_ later."

* * *

I arrived at the Richmond airport at exactly eleven o'clock. Sydney's plane was late, and I had to idle while she picked up her three enormous bags from baggage claim. She suckered some poor guy into carting everything out to my truck. He practically salivated when she smiled at him. I knew chicks had reacted to me like this, but seeing a dude act this way was fucking pathetic. _Grow a pair_.

After hauling all three bags into the bed of my truck, the guy nervously asked for her number.

"Oh, sorry. I'm here with my boyfriend," Sydney said with a smile, pointing at my truck.

That was her go-to excuse. Sydney had had as many boyfriends as I'd had girlfriends. Well, I guessed I had one more than her now.

She hopped into my truck in the shortest skirt I'd ever seen, not giving two shits if anyone could see what was underneath. Her chest was on full display in some tiny top, and she was in cowboy boots.

"Hey, cuz," she said.

"Are you shopping in the kids' section again, Syd?"

"Yeah, do you like it?" she uncrossed and crossed her legs.

"You look like a tramp."

Sydney rolled her brown eyes to the ceiling. "Don't start this shit with me again," she said dismissively. "If one of your slutbag groupies wore this outfit, you'd be more than ecstatic."

" _You_ are not one of my slutbag groupies though. You're my cousin—my younger, not-even-legal-to-drink, don't-want-to-know-what-you're-fucking cousin." I shook my head. "I can't take you to the Poconos wearing that. You'll give every guy within a mile radius a hard-on."

"Ever think that might be the point?"

"Oh, I know that's the fucking point."

"Then, shut the hell up," she said, jabbing me in the ribs.

"Will you just _try_ to behave this weekend?"

I knew it was a lost cause to even ask, but I had to do it. She was still my baby cousin.

"Oh, Zach, I'll try. I'll try _really_ , really hard, but sometimes, guys come on to me, and I just want to bang them. What's a girl to do?" She batted her eyelashes at me.

There was no reasoning with her. We were two peas in a pod. We always had been while growing up. That meant I needed to let her know about Cammie before she heard it from someone else. Sydney needed to get the jokes out on me while we were alone. I didn't want them getting back to Cammie. Even though I was close with Sydney, I wasn't sure how to tell her that I had a girlfriend. It had never happened before.

"Syd, before we get there, I need to talk to you about something."

Her ears perked up. "Has Grant been asking about me?"

"What? Well, yeah, he has, but this isn't about him." I blew out a quick breath and just went for it. "I have a girlfriend."

Sydney burst out laughing. She kicked her feet up onto the dash and leaned back. "Funny. That'll be the day."

"No, Syd, I'm serious," I said cautiously. "Her name is Cammie, and she's going to be at the resort this weekend."

"A girlfriend?" she said the word as if it were new to her vocabulary. "But…you don't _do_ girlfriends."

"I don't, but she's different."

"Who the hell are you? Are you sure that you're my cousin?" she asked. "Where are we from? What street did you find me on when I fell off my bike in the sixth grade? How many donuts did we eat that one time before we both thought we were going to throw up?"

"Maine. Carter. Lucky number thirteen," I fired back. "Still me."

"Okay. So…what's she like?" Sydney sat up and then tucked her feet underneath her like she used to do as a kid.

So I told her about Cammie. Sydney was mostly amazed that Cammie wasn't some dumb slut—as Sydney put it. I didn't tell her that Cammie was a virgin because Sydney probably would have just laughed at me and told me that I was only still with Cammie because she hadn't given it up. I wanted to sleep with Cammie more than I'd wanted to sleep with anyone in my life, but that wasn't why I was interested in her.

"Does she know about…?" Sydney trailed off.

"No," I said gruffly.

"Well, are you going to tell her?"

"I don't know." I clenched the steering wheel tightly in my hands until my knuckles turned white.

"Maye you should."

"That's _my_ business, Sydney."

"I know. I just thought since this is the first time you've had a girlfriend—"

"Drop it," I growled.

"Okay," she whispered. She fluffed her brown hair and changed the topic. "You know I get the final stamp of approval, right?"

"Since when?" I asked, relieved that the other conversation had ended.

"Since ever. I'm your cousin," she said as if that settled it all. "I can't wait to meet her."

I had the strong sense that this was going to be a disaster.

* * *

 **Zammie's all fixed, yay! :D**

 **Sydney is, um...interesting. I've actually tamed her down from the original character in _Take Me For Granted_ , so you can only imagine how big of a train wreck she was supposed to be...**

 **Here it is again, that darn secret of Zach's. And Sydney seems to know about it too, so my question for y'all is: What do you think Zach's big, dark secret is?**

 **Huge thanks to all those who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! I get so excited seeing notifications from FF about a new review or a new follow/favorite (: Keep 'em coming ! ;)**

 _"I thought about how there are two types of secrets: the kind you_ want _to keep in, and the kind you don't_ dare _to let out."_ **Ally Carter, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover**


	14. Chapter 14

**Everyone's enthusiasm is so infectious! I get really excited to write more when I get so many positive reviews! So thank you all so much for your support (: Y'all wanted some Zammie fluffiness/alone-time, so here you go. This one's for you :D**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

The girls and I arrived at the ski resort about an hour behind Zach and Sydney. He'd texted me to let me know that they'd already gotten their ski rentals and to meet him on the slopes.

After we dropped our stuff off in our rooms, the girls and I went to get our rental equipment. I had my own skis at home, but there hadn't been enough time to get them shipped to me. My parents hadn't been thrilled that I wasn't coming straight home for the holidays, but I'd insisted that this was something I wanted to do. Even though they were strict, they had trouble denying me anything.

We spent the afternoon on the slopes, and after about an hour, we ran into Zach and Sydney. I wasn't sure what Zach had told her about us, but she had this humorous glint in her eye every time she looked at me. She and Bex hit it off right away, which was just fine with me. They seemed like kindred spirits.

Sydney disappeared halfway through the day. When I asked Zach where she had run off to, he just laughed and told me not to worry about it. I shrugged and followed him to a Black Diamond trail while Bex, Macey, and Liz met up with Tina and her friends.

I didn't mind being alone with Zach in the quiet, looking over the cliff to the world below. Actually, being up here at the top of the mountain felt about the same as it had the morning we sat on the shore, watching the sunrise.

"You ready for this, Gallagher Girl?" he asked, leaning precariously over the edge.

"I've been skiing since I was four. Are _you_ ready?"

He leaned over and kissed my frozen red nose. "Race you to the bottom."

I laughed when he jumped down the slope without warning, taking a head start. _He'll need it._ About halfway down the trail, I glided across a particularly icy patch on the ground and took the lead. I heard Zach hit the snow behind me. I came to an abrupt halt and turned to see him sprawled out with one ski sliding down the slope toward me and the other sticking straight up out of the snow a few feet from him. I couldn't help myself. I just started laughing hysterically.

"Oh my God, are you okay?" I asked through my laughter.

"Bitch, are you laughing at me?" His head popped up to glare at me.

"You look ridiculous." I grabbed his spare ski when it reached me and stuck it in the ground.

"Well, are you going to just stand there? Or are you going to help me?" he asked, dropping his head back into the snow.

"You keep calling me a bitch, and I'll just leave you there."

"Babe…"

I kicked off my skis and made sure they were secure. I jogged awkwardly in my snow boots back up the mountain while carrying his ski with me. I dropped it down next to him, doing the same to other once I'd found it.

Zach was still lying, unmoving, on the slope.

"Are you going to be okay?" I asked him.

He slowly eased up into a sitting position and rested his snow-covered arms on his knees. "I'm going to be fine," he said. Then, he reached forward, grabbed me by the backs of my legs, and pulled me down on top of him.

I shrieked as my knees landed in the snow. He just laughed, rolled me over, and covered my body with his. His mouth was on mine in a second, and any thoughts about the snow vanished. I wrapped my arms around him, pulling him closer.

We stayed like that, lost in each other's touch, until a group came by to make sure we were okay. Zach seemed completely unperturbed by them watching us, but I laughed nervously and told them we were fine. After dusting the snow off our bodies and snapping on our skis, we made our way down the mountain.

After a much-needed shower, I changed into a pair of skinny jeans, a tight black tank, and my baby-blue cardigan. I draped Zach's dog tags over my head. It didn't really go with my outfit, but I never went anywhere without them anymore. I grabbed a peach scarf and my pea coat, and then I headed down to the lodge with Bex, Macey, and Liz in tow.

The opening bands were playing tonight to kick off the music festival. There would be shows the rest of the weekend, finishing in a giant final performance with The Drift. Their new song was playing nonstop on the radio.

The lodge was a massive open room that had been completely renovated for the music festival. The main area was a built-in stage that was used year-round for local events, and rooms branched off of it with stages for smaller bands. A second main stage along with two other slightly smaller ones were set up outside in tents with heaters for day performances.

At the door, we slipped on highlighter-green wristbands that gave us an all-access pass to the concerts all weekend. I stepped into the room, and I admired the mass of people gearing up for the opening act of the evening. The room setup was like a log cabin with high ceilings, exposed beams, and giant fireplaces that blazed brightly. I spotted the band near one of the fireplaces, and for once, I took the lead and walked my girls over to them.

"I'm so going to hook up with Grant this weekend," Bex whispered into my ear as we walked over.

I just laughed, feeling happy and carefree. It was a nice change of pace for me. "Have fun with that, Bex."

Two girls that I didn't recognize were talking animatedly to Zach when I approached him. He hadn't seen me yet.

One leaned up to whisper something in his ear and then her friend slipped something into his hand before they walked away.

I arched an eyebrow as I approached. "What was all that about?"

Zach shrugged. "Just groupies."

"What did they give you?" I asked curiously.

He unfolded the note and passed it to me. I glanced down and saw that a room number was scrawled on it. _Lovely._

"Is it always like this?"

"Nah, Gallagher Girl. Normally, I take them home," he said, pulling me close to him. "But the only person I'm taking home with me tonight is you."

I hadn't doubted that for a second—okay, maybe a second—but hearing that helped.

"What the…" Zach growled.

"What?"

I glanced over in the direction where he was looking, and I saw _exactly_ what had aggravated him.

Sydney had just shown up in the most outrageous outfit for a ski lodge. She was in a teeny-tiny skirt that showed off a large rose tattoo on the outside of her right thigh. She was shrugging out of a parka, and underneath was an insanely low black tank top, displaying her half sleeve. She was wearing some god-awful cowboy boots that made it look a bit like she was trying to be Daisy Duke. Eyes followed her as she approached us. If this was her normal clothing choice, I suddenly understood where she had disappeared to this afternoon.

"Hey, cuz," she said in greeting.

"Didn't I tell you to behave?"

"Didn't I say I'd _try_?" She gestured down. "I tried…but failed. Now, where is Grant?"

My eyebrows shot up at that. _Sydney is interested in Grant?_ Bex was gorgeous and forward, but she didn't dress like _that_.

Zach sighed and pointed Grant out. He was standing only a few feet away from us by the fire, chatting up some girl.

"Thanks," she said with a wink. "Oh, hi, Cammie…"

"Hey, Sydney," I said softly.

I didn't know what it was about her, but in that moment, she made me feel about two feet tall. I'd never be comfortable in an outfit like that, not that I needed that kind of outfit or anything. _When did I become such a girl?_

She flicked the dog tags hanging around my neck. "Nice necklace."

"Thanks," I said as she sauntered away. "She's, uh…something."

"Ignore her. She's trouble."

"Sounds like someone else I know."

"It runs in the family," he said, grabbing my waist and pulling me into him.

I smiled, and that only made his insufferable smirk widen.

"Watch this," he said, gesturing to Sydney. "It'll be entertaining."

My eyes returned to Sydney, who had since pushed the girl Grant had been talking with out of her way.

"Grant, baby," she cooed, slithering into his grasp and running her hand temptingly down his chest.

"Sydney, I've fucking missed you." His hands ran down her sides to grab her ass. He looked like he'd just won the jackpot.

"It's so good to see you. I've missed these huge muscles." She grabbed his biceps and squeezed.

I glanced over to Bex. She was standing not too far off, and she was watching the whole scene, like everyone else. She was fuming, and her face was a shade of red I've never seen before.

"Syd, you know you can have _these_ muscles anytime you want," Grant said, thrusting her hips against him to emphasize exactly what he'd meant.

"Anytime?" she purred.

"Shit, if you want me to take you upstairs right now, just say the word." Grant grinned.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, lifted up onto her toes, and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. "Maybe next time, lover," she said before walking away from him.

"Is it just a game?" I asked Zach, trying to comprehend what I'd just witnessed.

"One they've been playing since she hit puberty," he told me. "Grant always made fun of her when she was a kid, and then she turned out…well, like Sydney. He's wanted all over that ever since. I think she gets more amusement out of torturing him."

"So, she's not even interested in him?"

"Last I checked, no."

"Still no," Sydney said, coming up behind me. "No Grant for me, but I think your friend digs him."

I turned back to Grant and saw that he had Bex pressed against the side of the brick fireplace. Their lips were locked, and hands were roaming all over the place.

"So, are you going to come home for the holidays?" Sydney asked Zach. She seemed completely unperturbed by what had happened. "Joe was pissed that you missed Thanksgiving."

 _Joe—that name sounds familiar._ "Wait, Joe from the pizza place?"

"Uh…yeah," Sydney said, eyeing me suspiciously. " _Solomon's_."

"Syd…" Zach said softly.

"Why would he be pissed that you missed Thanksgiving?" I asked hesitantly.

Zach just looked down.

Sydney answered for him, "Because Joe's my dad. Sydney Solomon. Nice to meet you."

My mouth dropped open as it all came together. Joe was Sydney's dad. That made Joe…Zach's uncle. No wonder they had been so accommodating when we were there. We'd had the best seat in the place. Joe had been so happy to see Zach and to see that he had brought a girl to the restaurant. I didn't know why he hadn't told me that it was his uncle's place before.

"You took me to _Solomon's_ and didn't tell me it was your uncle's place?"

"Whoa! You took the chick home?" Sydney asked.

"Sydney," Zach snapped, shaking his head.

"Um…what am I missing?" I asked.

"I know you said she didn't know, Zach, but—"

"Sydney!" he practically shouted. He pointed away from him. "Go."

Sydney rolled her big brown eyes. "Whatever. I'm going to go find your drummer. What's his name again?"

"Aaron," I told her when all Zach did was glare at her.

I waited until he had calmed down before speaking. "What don't I know?"

"Cam, I can't…" He took a deep breath. "There are some things that you don't know about me."

I nodded. There was a lot that he didn't know about me, either. "I want to know everything about you, though."

"You might have a different impression about me." He looked completely torn.

I wasn't sure if it was because he didn't want to tell me or because he really wanted to tell me.

"How could I have a different impression about you?"

He shook his head and glanced away from me. "I don't really talk about it. The guys don't even know. Well, they know some of it but not all of it."

"They _guys_ don't know?" I was shocked.

They were his best friends. He'd known them since middle school. If _they_ didn't even know, then whatever it was must be _huge_.

"Does this have something to do with your parents?"

The last time he'd brought them up, he had completely clammed up. I didn't know why that was, but now I could piece together some context clues.

His eyes stared down at me in utter shock. "How…"

"Lucky guess." I gently laced our fingers together.

His brow furrowed, and he looked like he was warring with himself. I'd never seen him look so…vulnerable.

"Never mind," I told him with a shake of my head. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. I get it. Hopefully, one day you'll feel comfortable enough to trust me with your secrets," I said, squeezing his hand and giving him a small smile.

His lips feel on top of mine, and the noise from the lodge and all the people in it disappeared.

"You know there's never been anyone else like you in my life, Cam."

My heart thudded in my chest. "I feel the same way."

At that moment, the first band of the night started up onstage, and the crowd gravitated toward them.

"Come with me," he said.

"Where are we going?" I asked as I trailed behind him out of the ski lodge.

When he didn't answer, I began to worry. "Zach, what's going on?"

He stopped, and we were standing in the middle of the hallway, probably halfway to his room.

"I trust you, Gallagher Girl," was all he said before he continued to drag me the rest of the way. He didn't have to say more for me to understand—he was going to tell me his big secret.

* * *

 **Sydney is Joe's daughter...who predicted that? Lol. I told y'all there was more to the story when it came to Zach and Joe! They're actually family...how nice (: You'll find out Joe's exact role in Zach's life soon enough.**

 **Next chapter we finally find out what this big secret is! Z** **ach has carried this secret with him for the past thirteen years, so he's seriously affected by it and it's basically shaped him into the person he was when we first met him—this adrenaline junkie who did anything he could to quiet his demons and didn't care who he hurt, including himself.**

 **And for those of you claiming it's a predictable storyline...Well...I guess we'll just have to see, won't we?**

 **Thanks for your support (: Stay awesome!**

 _"'Why do I feel like I can't trust you anymore?' I wanted him to lash out. I wanted him to fight, to protest, to argue—to do anything but look deeper into my eyes and say, 'Because the Gallagher Academy doesn't admit fools.'"_ **Ally Carter, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover**

 **Chills...**


	15. Chapter 15

**I know y'all have been waiting a long time for this, so I won't hold you up any longer. Enjoy (:**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

I didn't know what the hell I was doing. I'd never told anyone about this. I never talked about it. I never even discussed it with the people who knew, like Sydney.

I didn't touch those memories. They were the crux of my emotionless existence. They ate at my very being and reminded me how much of a worthless piece of shit I was.

So, I tried everything to get rid of them.

I tried to outrun them.

I tried to drown them in booze, music, and sex.

I used any and everything to force them down deeper and deeper within me.

When that stuff had stopped working, I simply obtained more and more of it each time, like an addict, until it seemed like that's all my life had become—finding the next fix.

Cammie was the only thing that had ever made me simply forget without trying, without self-medicating, without riding out a high. Now, I was going to take my only hope of forgetting and tell her what had happened?

She was the last person I wanted to know about it. I didn't want to see the fear or pity or sorrow in her eyes. I didn't want to get that from _her._ Maybe I should turn it around and just try to sleep with her.

 _No. Fuck._

I didn't know what to do.

So, I just kept my damn mouth shut as I guided her back to my room. We'd splurged on a suite so that we would all have more space and our own rooms. I left Cammie in the living room to find some liquor in the mini bar. I poured myself whiskey on the rocks and her a glass of wine. She took it silently, and I could tell that curiosity was burning a hole through her.

Even though she didn't touch her drink, I took a long sip of the whiskey, letting the burning sensation spread through my stomach. I nodded my head toward the far wall, walked her over to the door, and opened it into the master suite. Her eyes widened, taking in the luxurious surroundings. The room was lush with a massive bed, Jacuzzi tub, walk-in shower, and the best view of the mountains.

I'd thought I'd be sleeping with her here tonight, not telling her about my past. I guessed she deserved to know the kind of guy she was going to give herself to—that was, if she even wanted me afterward.

"Zach," she whispered.

I glanced up at her and tried to push down my rising desire at seeing her gorgeous body here in my suite, standing by my bed. It was a defense mechanism. I just wanted to be with her and forget everything.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

I sighed and made up my mind. "Yes, I do."

"I can tell that you're beating yourself up about it. You don't have to do anything just because Sydney let it slip."

Damn, this woman. She was too good to me.

"Just take a seat," I told her. _If I'm going to do this, then I need to do it now._

"Okay," she said softly, hoisting herself up onto the bed with her feet dangling.

I paced back and forth, not sure where to start.

 _Here goes nothing._

"I grew up as a military brat. Born in Maine and moved all over the country before we landed at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia."

"I thought you grew up down the shore?" Cammie asked.

"I'll get to that." I ran a hand back through my hair and started pacing again. "My dad…well, I'm still not sure what he did for the Army. He was gone a lot, and then he was deployed overseas for years, so my mom basically raised me. The stress had started getting to her. Raising a child by herself, taking on two jobs, going to bed alone…she slowly started going crazy."

I took another deep breath and ran my hand through my hair again out of nervous habit. "She wasn't herself after a while. She'd scream at me, blame me for stupid shit and tell me I was useless. That I was worthless to her. She'd be angry one minute, and then cry the next and apologize for all the hurtful things she'd said."

Cammie wrung her hands in her lap. Her face was a mask of concern. "I'm so sorry."

"Don't be sorry yet," I said grimly. "Finally, my dad came back, and I remember thinking that everything was going to go back to normal. That she'd be healed and everything would be okay. But she stayed in that angry, delusional place and took out all her insanity on us. My dad thought that maybe being back near her family would help her cope better, so he moved us back to Maine where her parents lived. Even through the worst of it, he was always thinking about helping her. I don't think I ever heard him say one bad thing about her. He just continued to love her unconditionally."

My hands were trembling, and I fought for control as I continued. "I regularly woke up to my mom's screams in the middle of the night, her sleep being haunted by her delusions. Since I was only ten, my dad told me not to worry about them and to just stay in my room."

I turned my back on Cammie, breathing heavily. My heart felt like I'd dropped it into a blender and set it on high. I couldn't keep it together, and I remembered exactly why I'd never told anyone else. I had to peel back layer after layer just to force the story out.

"Zach," Cammie said, hopping off the bed and wrapping her arms around me from behind. "You don't have to tell me the rest."

She was trying to protect me, but I had to continue.

"One night, I awoke to my dad's screams. I didn't have any rules against checking on my dad, so I made my way down the hall. My mom had pulled his gun on him while in one of her episodes, and my dad was begging her to come back to him. He just kept yelling, 'Come back to me, Catherine.'"

My throat seized as a vision of my father cowering on the opposite wall hit me like an arrow to the heart. I could still see my mother standing threateningly next to the dresser. I imagined my ten-year-old eyes growing wider and wider, knowing what I was seeing but not believing that it was happening.

"From the doorway, I called out to her. I remember the panic on my dad's face when my mom turned to me. At first, I thought I'd broken through her hallucination, and she had come back to reality. But then, she aimed the gun at me, and said she was sorry that she had to say goodbye that way."

Cammie gasped behind me, and in that second, I was glad that she couldn't see the tears welling up in my eyes.

"My dad jumped in front of me as she pulled the trigger. She shot him in the chest twice."

"Oh, Zach, I'm so sorry," she whispered, coming around to my front and holding me tight to her.

"The gunshots broke my mom out of her psychotic episode. She saw my dad dead, and she blamed me."

"What?" Cammie asked, pulling back to look at me with those big, blue, emotional eyes.

"If I hadn't said anything, or if I'd just stayed in my goddamn bed like I was told to, maybe it would have been just like every other nightmare. Maybe nothing would've happened."

"You don't know that!"

"He's gone! It doesn't matter!" I roared.

"Yes, it does! Zach, she shot at you. _Knowingly._ She said goodbye, and pulled the trigger! She would've shot your father, too, whether you were there or not," Cammie told me firmly.

I shook my head, a tear spilling over onto my cheek. I wiped at it roughly and swallowed the rest of them.

Cammie sighed. "What happened to your mom?"

"The neighbors had heard the gunshots, and they called the cops. I was taken to the hospital, and my mom was taken to jail. She was diagnosed with some psychological mental illness, so instead of facing charges for first-degree murder, she was sent to a psych ward. I moved in with my aunt and uncle on my dad's side, the Solomon's." I was thankful that Abby and Joe agreed to raise me after that. Otherwise I would've been put into the foster-care system, and who knows how I would've turned out. At least I had family to try to help me through it—people who loved me and tried to reverse the damage my mom had been drilling into me for years. It didn't work—nothing ever did for long—but I was still thankful.

"So, the dog tags," Cammie said, holding them out from herself. "They belong to your dad?"

"Yeah."

"How can you wear them all the time? They're just a constant reminder of what happened."

"I told you once, they remind me of the man I want to be. My dad had a good heart, very forgiving and full of love. And I pray that I end up like him and not like my crazy-ass mom. Mental illness is hereditary, you know."

"You're nothing like her," she told me simply. "And you will _never_ be like her."

"How do you know?"

"I've seen the man you hide from the rest of the world. You would never be careless with your family. You love them fiercely, even the ones who aren't blood."

I said the words that I'd been holding back for years, the words I believed to my very core, "I could have saved him. If I had just done what my dumb ass was told, he would—"

"No, you couldn't have. Staying in bed, wouldn't have changed anything. It's not your fault."

I wanted to believe those words so badly. But thirteen years of convincing myself of the opposite just wouldn't go away.

 _I could have saved him. I'd never forgive myself. I was just a worthless, dumbass piece of shit, and it's my fault he's dead._

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

Whatever I'd thought Zach was going to tell me…was nothing compared to what he'd just revealed. We all had skeletons in our closet, but this wasn't a skeleton. This was a body bag and a psych ward sentence. This was uprooting his entire existence to move in with his aunt and uncle. This was thirteen years of guilt weighing down on his shoulders.

No wonder he had hidden this from the rest of the world. Yet, I couldn't imagine hiding this, being all alone in my grief, not having anyone to lean on. The fact that he was as normal and stable as he appeared was a miracle. Experiencing something like this could have done a lot worse to him than turning him into a callous playboy.

I felt a newfound respect for Zach blossoming. He'd survived so much, and while it was clear he was still in pain from it, he had risen above what had happened to him. He had friends who would kill for him, a younger cousin who adored him, and legions of adoring fans.

And he was here…with me.

"So, that's my story," he said. His eyes looked off in the distance as if he was still lost in that tragic night.

"You went through hell with no help. Did you even go to therapy or anything?"

Zach scoffed. "Therapy was the bottom of a bottle and a hot chick."

"That sounds like you," I said with a shake of my head. "How did you survive when you were a kid though?"

"My guitar. It saw me through all the hard times," he told me. "My guitar and the tags."

I sighed as he mentioned the dog tags that were still hanging around my neck.

I slowly pulled them over my head. "Zach, I don't know if I can keep wearing these."

"What?" He looked panicked.

"I don't think you or I should have a constant reminder of what happened. I think you should just…let it go."

I knew it was easy for me to say. I hadn't been there thirteen years ago. I hadn't experienced what he had gone through. I had no idea what it would be like to see my father die right before me, to see my mother sent to a mental institution, to feel the guilt that had clearly sunk into Zach at an early age.

"I can't _let it go_ ," he said the words like an insult. "I…you don't understand."

"No, I don't," I said, not letting him rile me up for once. "I could never understand. I'm sure few people could understand what you've gone through, Zach. But I want to." I ran my hand up his arm.

"The tags…they don't remind me of what happened. I know they should, and that I should hate them. But I don't. It doesn't make any sense. One part of me knows that they're not enough to turn me into the man he was—the man I want to be. That they're not enough to keep me from turning into _her_ instead. But the other part knows they're all I have left of my father. And sometimes, when I look at them and when I look at you wearing them…I don't feel the pain of losing him. I'm just reminded of who I want to be."

Zach took the tags I still held in my hands and eased them back over my head. "Every time I see you, Gallagher Girl, I feel better. Every single day, you push away the pain and the memories. You're my life raft in an endless ocean. You saved me from drowning. You saved me from myself."

My breath caught in my throat and I just stared up into the depths of his emerald orbs. Gold flecks at the center reflected back at me.

In that moment, it was painfully clear how he felt about me, and I knew that I felt the same exact way. I hadn't gone through what he had gone through, but Zach had still saved me. I'd thought I was happy becoming the person my parents had always wanted, but I'd never felt passion until Zach. And that was what I now wanted out of life.

My lips found his softly. He held me against him and took comfort in what I was giving him. Trapped in his arms and lost in his kisses, I realized that I wanted this to move forward. I'd held back, wanting to give myself to someone I truly cared about, waiting for the right moment, waiting to _feel_ ready, and that time had come. I had never felt more ready than at this moment.

I took Zach's hand and gingerly led him back toward the bed. My heart was hammering in my chest in anticipation, and words were stuck in my throat. He read the questions in my eyes and returned them with a kiss. He effortlessly lifted me onto the bed, and I slid backward while I unbuttoned my cardigan. He smiled as I tossed it to the ground.

Everywhere he touched me was igniting a fire on my skin. I couldn't get enough of him, yet I was terrified of exposing myself like this. His fingers ran along my stomach, pushing the shirt aside, as he lay kisses across my skin. I sucked in at his touches, at his utter adoration of every inch of my imperfect body.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, placing another kiss on my hip as he unsnapped the button on my jeans.

My pants followed my cardigan, and Zach's shirt came off next. I admired his body in a way that I'd never really appreciated. I'd seen it before. I'd run my hands over it before, but here in the moonlight…God, he was gorgeous. He was tall and tanned with strong arms and six-pack abs. His tattoos were bold and prominent against his skin. He had those V-lines that made girls go crazy, and I suddenly understood why.

My legs trembled softly in anticipation as he eased them apart and fluttered his fingers lightly along my thighs. I took a deep breath and told myself to relax. I'd spent so much time thinking about what it would all be like and whether I'd be comfortable moving forward that I'd never let myself just be in the moment. But I wasn't going to let that happen tonight. I wanted this. I wanted Zach.

He kissed me gently on the lips, then kissed a trail down my neck, grinding his hips into me despite the layers of clothes between us. The need was rolling off of him in waves and I could feel him ready between my thighs.

"Cammie," he breathed into my neck before planting a soft, desperate kiss on my skin. "I want you tonight, love."

My heart beat wildly at the pet name. He used a million-and-a-half different names as if they were commonplace, but never that one.

Zach was out of the rest of his clothes and pushing me back onto the bed, our bodies pressed tight, our lips melded together, my fingers digging into his back and shoulders, and his grasping my hips desperately as he rocked against me in a smooth, steady rhythm. He was so gentle, so perfectly controlled, that I wondered if he was feeling anything at all. But one look at his face and one moan from his lips told me that he was feeling _everything_ just fine.

The way he held me when we were done, his arms tight but gentle as they held me to him, and how he traced soft kisses along my hairline spoke volumes to how completely comfortable he was being vulnerable with me, and I knew that he cared for me deeply in a way he'd never had for anyone before. The thought made my heart flutter, and I held back the need to smile like an idiot.

"You okay?" he asked quietly, running his fingers up and down my arm as I laid my head on his chest, our limbs tangled in an embrace.

"Yeah," I told him, my body shaking from all the emotion. "Just…a little overwhelmed."

He looked down at me, and I quickly added, "In a good way."

He smiled and dropped another kiss onto my forehead.

And then we fell asleep, naked and wrapped in each other's arms.

* * *

 **Ugh, they're perfect.**

 **Big chapter for y'all, so much happened! You learned Zach's secret _AND_ Zammie finally sealed the deal :D Originally, this was two separate chapters, but I decided to combine them because why not? So, sorry if the flow for this chapter and the next few chapters seem a little off.**

 **Next chapter, there'll be some band drama, but also some cute Zammie moments (:**

 **Let me know your thoughts on this chapter! I'm super excited to hear everyone's reactions! If you've read _Take Me For Granted_ , you'll notice Zach's secret is quite different, and mainly that's because canon-Zach's mom is crazy and his dad isn't even revealed until _United We Spy_ , so I wanted to keep it consistent.**

 **Thanks for all the love and support! Stay awesome!**

 _"…Zach dipped me in the middle of the foyer and pressed his lips to mine. Then he smiled that smile I'd come to know. 'I always finish what I start.'"_ **Ally Carter, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy**


	16. Chapter 16

**So many positive reviews :D! Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave a review. You're all amazing (:**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

"Seriously, you can't keep me in here all day," Cammie said, flopping back on my bed. "I'm going to need to eat."

"I'll order us something." I shot her a devilish smirk.

We'd spent the rest of the night tangled up in our arms and my sheets, sleeping while spooning. I'd wanted to go again, but I was too afraid of hurting her. She was fragile enough, and while I'd been gentle, I could tell that she was sore by how much she winced when she walked. I would give her a day and see how she was feeling then.

It had been more than three months since I'd had sex. It had to be a record. Now that I'd tasted it again, I was dying for more. I couldn't believe I'd held out for twelve hours straight already. If it were up to me, I would have gone all night.

"Can't we just go downstairs and get breakfast?" she asked.

I leaned against one of the bedposts and arched an eyebrow. "I'd be happy to show everyone what we were doing last night."

Her cheeks colored pink. "I think you're exaggerating."

"Go ahead and try walking around the room then."

Determined, she stood and started toddling around the room.

I couldn't hold back my laughter. "Babe, you're all wobbly and waddling around like a penguin."

She glared at me. "What did you do to me?"

I strode over to her and pulled her against me. "I fuck—"

"Don't say it," she ordered. "God, you can be crude."

I chuckled and pushed a hand up into her hair. "I can't help that I want you so much."

Her blush darkened. "Maybe we could do it again," she whispered hesitantly. Her hand landed on my chest.

I kissed her nose, and surprisingly enough, rejected the idea. _Who the hell am I?_

"Sorry, babe. But if you're wincing from just walking, there's no way you'll be able to handle another round."

She opened her mouth to argue, and I loved her enthusiasm, but I planted a kiss on her before she spoke, knowing I would lose my resolve if she kept arguing to have sex again. "Let's get breakfast."

* * *

Room service arrived sometime later, and I threw some clothes on to go answer the door. Grant was lounging around in his boxers, watching some CrossFit championship on ESPN.

"What'd you get me?" he asked, hopping off the couch to examine the food as I wheeled it in.

"Nothing. Fuck off." I pushed the food toward my room.

"You've been in there all night and morning. Do you guys even come up to breathe?"

"Nope." No use telling Grant any details.

"I ended up banging her British friend last night."

"Bex?" I asked. It was still shocking that I'd managed to remember other girls' names longer than a couple of seconds.

"Yeah, bro. She's a total freak in the sheets. We should swap, and you should try that out."

I stopped walking and tried to keep my temper on lock. The last time I'd reacted on Grant, it had messed up our rehearsals for the next week. I gritted my teeth. "I don't think so."

"Yeah, you were never into the kinky kind."

"Did I discriminate?" I didn't remember it being that way.

"You didn't used to."

I could hear the annoyance in his voice but chose to ignore it. We had a huge show tonight. If Grant had something to say, he could say it after the fucking show.

"I wish I'd seen where Sydney went off to though. Think I could get her into a threesome with the Brit?"

"I'd assume it wouldn't be Syd's first, but she's my cousin, so shut the fuck up about her."

"She's a cocktease. You should say something to her, Zach. I'm fucking obsessed with her."

To my credit, I didn't throw Grant across the room like I wanted to. "I'm not saying a word to her, and you should just leave her the hell alone. Concentrate on Bex. She's all over you."

Grant cocked his head back like I'd just said the most shocking thing. "Since when are you the fucking voice of reason? You've been hanging out with Jonas too much, bro."

He was right, I'd never been the one to suggest staying out of trouble. _Maybe Cammie is changing me into a better man._

Just then, Aaron's door cracked open, and he walked out in a clean pair of jeans and a band T-shirt. Sauntering out right behind him was Sydney, still in the clothes she'd been wearing the night before.

"What the _fuck_?!" Grant roared.

"Oh, Grant, baby," Sydney said in a chipper voice. "It's so good to see you."

"Bro, are you fucking trying to steal my girl?"

Aaron leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms, and gave Grant the best eat-shit-and-die look I'd ever seen from him. He didn't need to say a word. That look had done the trick.

"Whoa!" I said, slamming my hand down onto Grant's chest. "Fucking chill out. You were with someone else last night."

"He fucking knew I was into Sydney!" Grant cried, trying to push past me.

He had more bulk than I did, but I wasn't going to let my brothers kill each other. Aaron was tall and lanky, but I knew firsthand that he packed a punch. He had been taking jiu-jitsu and various other martial arts classes since he was a kid.

Sydney rolled her eyes. "Grant, baby, calm down."

"Don't fucking tell me what to do!"

I shoved Grant backward. "Don't talk to my fucking cousin like that, jackass."

The other doors to the suite opened, and Cammie and Jonas appeared out of nowhere. Jonas came over to help block Grant's path to Aaron.

"What's going on?" Cammie asked.

"We got it covered, Cam. Just go back into the room."

She gave me a look that said, _No chance in hell._

"You motherfucker!" Grant yelled at Aaron, ignoring the bodies standing between them. "You broke code."

"What code?" Aaron was completely calm. "Did you claim her? Is she sharing your bed? No. And last I checked, Sydney is perfectly free to decide where she wants to spend her nights."

Sydney turned and smiled at Aaron. _Oh, no._ This hadn't been just some scheme on her part, like normal. She actually liked Aaron. _Well, just fucking great. Way to split up the group._

"Grant is just overreacting. I don't have time for this," Sydney said with an exaggerated eye roll. She turned, grabbed her parka, and walked out of the suite.

I fucking knew she was going to be a disaster.

"We have a show in ten hours," I said. My eyes darted between the two guys. "Are you going to get over this shit before then?"

"There are going to be scouts," Jonas said sternly.

"This is huge for us," I reminded them.

"He fucking slept with Sydney."

"Yeah, we all got that," Aaron said.

"Enough!" I yelled at both of them. "You should just go find your Brit and do whatever you have to do to get over this."

"Hey! That's my friend!" Cammie called.

"You want to go for a spin, honey?" Grant asked with a wink.

Cammie narrowed her eyes.

I was ready to knock that shit look off his face, but Jonas jumped between us.

"He's just pissed. He doesn't need a broken nose, too."

"Maybe he does," I growled.

"Look," Jonas said, raising his voice.

That caught our attention. He may have been stern and the one to keep us all on the same page, but he _never_ raised his voice.

"We have a goddamn show tonight. We shouldn't be arguing over a couple of girls. It's about the music. It's _always_ been about the music. Why have I been the only one who seems to remember that, lately?"

Aaron stood up from leaning against the doorframe and dropped his arms to his sides. Grant looked away from Jonas' gaze. I shrugged my shoulders and sighed. These were my brothers. We didn't need to be arguing like this.

"He's right."

"Yeah," Aaron agreed.

Grant continued to look off toward the TV.

"Grant?" Jonas prompted.

"Yeah. It's about the fucking music."

"So, go get laid, blow off some steam, whatever you need. But when we step onto that stage, this shit never happened."

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

Zach stormed back into the room like a thundercloud. Our breakfast had been forgotten in the midst of Grant and Aaron's fight. He slammed the door closed behind him, scooped me up like I weighed nothing, and tossed me back onto the bed. I bounced once and then laid flat.

"Are you turning into a caveman on me?"

"Is this something new?" he asked, yanking his shirt over his head.

"I suppose not. Are you pissed about Sydney?" I could tell he was, but I wanted him to talk to me about it.

"I knew she'd be fucking trouble on this trip the moment she called and asked me to take her with me. She's a fucking mess—bed-hopping, wearing those ridiculous clothes, acting like a dumb slut." He shook his head in frustration. "She's actually a really smart girl. Full scholarship to the University of Tennessee, straight A's, on the fucking Dean's List. She's just a fuck-up in her personal life."

"Sounds like someone else I know."

Zach turned his dark eyes on me, and his whole body softened. "Nah. I'm not as smart as Sydney."

"You wouldn't say you messed up your personal life?"

"Last I checked, you're in my bed, Gallagher Girl. I'm a fuck-up, that's for sure, but I must have done something right because you're here." His eyes hardened and he looked away. "Or maybe I'm a real fuck-up, and you deserve someone better than me."

A part of me knew that he felt that way, but still, I didn't think he'd actually meant it.

"I think you're spouting off stuff that you don't mean," I whispered, grabbing his hand.

"How do you know I don't mean that?"

"Because you don't. Because it's not true."

He didn't say anything. Up until we'd gotten involved, I had thought the same thing about him—that he didn't reach my standards. I think I'd even said as much to him when he first pursued me. But now…I didn't believe it one bit, and I knew he didn't either.

"You're just worked up about the argument. I can think of better things to take your frustration out on other than yourself."

His eyebrows shot up, and a small smirk crept onto his face. "I have a feeling I like where this is going." He crawled onto the bed after me.

"If Grant was instructed to get laid to blow off some steam, I think it's only fair that you take your own advice."

Zach just laughed and then rolled me underneath him. He grabbed my head, and our lips met with an intensity and ferocity that had been missing in our gentle embrace last night. He kissed me like a heroin addict getting his next hit. I was his drug of choice, and he was using me to feed his addiction.

"I'm warning you, Gallagher Girl, I'm not going to be gentle," he told me with a devilish grin, pulling my bottom lip between his teeth.

But _not being gentle_ was a massive understatement.

* * *

Exhaustion pulled me under, and when I finally woke up again, it was already early afternoon. I'd practically missed the whole day with Zach, and I was starving. But when I woke up, Zach was missing.

I stretched out my aching muscles and searched for my clothes. My skinny jeans were somewhere on the floor, and after throwing them on followed by my shirt and cardigan, I went looking for Zach. I peeked my head out of the room to make sure I wouldn't get caught in any crossfire this time, and I found the room mostly empty.

Zach was sitting on the couch with his guitar in his lap. He expertly picked at a few chords and repeated one line over and over again. I recognized it from their song "Letting You." They liked to close with that song, and it was one of my favorites.

"I like that one," I told him, coming out of the bedroom and taking a seat next to him.

"Yeah. It's one of Jonas's best. How did you sleep?"

"Like a rock. You couldn't sleep?"

He shook his head. "Too pumped about the show."

He strummed out a melody I hadn't heard before, and I stretched out as he played.

"You'll be great."

"All I know how to do, Gallagher Girl."

"What's this song? I haven't heard it."

"Something new."

"Oh. I didn't know Jonas had written something new for the show."

Zach stopped what he was playing and ran his fingers through my loose hair. I sighed and leaned into his hand.

"I wrote this one," he finally murmured.

"Oh," I said, surprised. I hadn't known that he wrote music. "Play it again."

He picked up on the rhythm he had been playing, and I let the music soothe me. Now that I was listening, I could tell that it had a different quality than what Jonas usually came up with. It was softer, yes, but it was almost more emotional with more heart.

"Are you going to sing for me?"

"Tonight."

"You're singing for the whole lodge tonight."

"I'll only be thinking about you."

I giggled and sat up. "I bet you say that to all the girls," I teased.

"You're accusing _me_ of charming girls with music?" he asked with his distinctive smirk.

"Oh no, not you. Certainly not you."

He sent me a wink, then turned his focus back to his guitar, which he never stopped strumming the soothing melody on.

"You know," I said, letting the music take me away, "we work well together."

"You think?" he asked, amused.

"Against all logic, yes."

"Yeah, you've got the world at your feet, and you're with a guy like me," he said offhand, and I hated that he was still thinking about it.

He was right in a way, though. We had come from two different worlds, had grown up in two shockingly different ways, and had coped with our lifestyles in completely different fashions. My parents were high society, and his mother was in a psych ward after killing his father. It didn't make sense.

But it did.

"Even though we grew up differently, we've come out very similar."

"What? You're a boozing manwhore, too? Did I miss that?"

I laughed. "No! I just mean that up until you, I'd never let anyone close enough to really get to know who I am. My parents aren't exactly emotional, and my education was my escape."

He nodded in understanding. "Before you, there was no one. Just the next high."

"Yeah. It's easier to be emotionless even if that means trying to come off as a carefree playboy."

"Hey, that's not an act!"

I rolled my eyes. "Sure. But do you get what I mean? I kind of bring you back down to earth, and I think you open up my world a bit."

"Just a bit," he said with a wink. His hand traveled up my thigh.

I laughed and shook him off. "I'm being serious."

We were shockingly different yet perfectly in sync. As I sat there listening to him play his music, I felt like things were right where they were supposed to be.

"That's why I keep you around," he told me.

"To be serious?"

"Someone has to be."

"And here I thought it was for the sex," I joked.

He shook his head, then captured my lips again. "Definitely more than sex," he said.

I liked that answer.

"I should probably head back to my room. I bet my friends are freaking out," I told him, standing up.

He reached for my hand, giving it a small squeeze before dropping it as I headed towards the door.

"I'll see you at the show," I said.

"Hey, Cam," he called out to me. "Come early. I want to show you a real backstage."

* * *

 **That last scene is my favorite one from the entire story. I don't know why...it's just so simple, and yet it means so much.**

 **Anyway, Sydney screwed everything up for BlackThorne, like Zach figured she would. I told you...trainwreck. But a loveable one (: I don't blame her for choosing Aaron. Grant's annoying and misogynistic. But him and Bex seem to be getting along just fine lol. There's always a silver lining.**

 **Oh, and did I mention that Jonas is my favorite?**

 **Next chapter, is kind of a filler chapter, but you'll get to see Cammie's friends actually be decent human beings for once!**

 **Another big thanks to all my awesome readers and supporters! Stay awesome (:**

 _"'I heard someone's playing hooky,' Zach told me. He smiled. Standing there, it felt almost like nothing bad had ever happened—or would ever happen again. 'There's a boy in my life,' I told him. 'He's a very bad influence.' Then Zach nodded. 'Bad boys have a way of doing that. But they're worth it.'"_ **Ally Carter, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover**


	17. Chapter 17

**Thank y'all for your lovely reviews (: They always brighten my day :D This isn't a super exciting chapter, but I hope y'all still enjoy it nonetheless.**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

When Cammie left, I took a quick shower, threw on some jeans and a dark blue T-shirt, and left for the lodge with my leather jacket and guitar. Our set started in a few hours, but I figured it would be a good idea to get there early and see what was going on. Maybe I could meet a few people. I had no interest in all the talk about labels looking at us, but it still tickled at the back of my mind.

 _What would it be like if a label liked us and wanted to sign us on? Would we record an album in L.A., tour with another band, making a living on the road? Would I see Cammie?_

I stopped that whole train of thought. It didn't fucking matter because we weren't even signed. We had no prospects. We were just here for the music, just like Jonas had said. I loved my guitar, my brothers, the band, everything. I wanted it to stay that way.

The lodge was teeming with people for the music festival, so I cut around to the side entrance for employees, bands, and staff only.

With my guitar slung across my back, I walked through a door backstage. I didn't recognize anyone, and that didn't bother me one bit. I'd always been a bit of a floater, meeting people along the way.

As I'd expected, there were twice as many girls back here as bands. A few were eyeing me suggestively. A few were really fucking hot, like off-the-charts hot. One girl had a chest that was massive, and obviously still real. Another girl bent over to whisper to someone else, and I could see half her ass in her short skirt. _Fuck me._ The girls didn't look like that in Roseville.

And I had a hot piece of ass all to myself, and she had been in my bed all day. Self-control had never been my strong suit. I could look but not touch or kiss or bang. Just look. That was possible. With some difficulty, I averted my gaze entirely and kept walking.

I was about halfway through the backstage area when a guy stopped in front of me. He didn't look familiar, but I was bad with faces anyway. He was dressed casually in dark jeans and a polo, yet I could tell he had some authority to him.

"Zachary Goode, right?" the guy asked, pointing his finger at me.

"Depends who's asking."

"Max Edwards."

We shook hands.

"I've heard a lot about you, Zach."

"That so?" His tone made me cautious. _Who is this guy?_

"Mostly good things."

"Sounds accurate."

The guy cracked a smile, and he looked younger than I'd thought he was. "Did you really tell Frank Boseley to go fuck himself?"

Frank Boseley—well, that was a name I never thought I'd hear again and also one I wasn't going to soon forget. He was the asshole label scout from Bank Head Records who had treated me like a chump.

"More or less. I think I actually said that he was a fucking piece of shit."

Max laughed and nodded his head. "Yeah, that's better than when he told the story."

"You know the guy?"

"We have mutual friends."

Ah, he was a label scout or at the very least someone in the industry. I should have been ecstatic to talk to this guy. Jonas would go nuts if I didn't follow through with this in some way.

"Surprised you're even talking to me after I shot down your friend."

"Friend is such a loose term. Frank is more of an acquaintance. And I couldn't be happier with how things turned out."

"Why's that?"

"Because I was the one who brought you here. Didn't Jonas tell you?"

I shrugged. "He didn't go into specifics."

"Well, I didn't really go into all that many specifics with him. I was waiting to see your show here. I was at the Halloween performance. You sold me when you pulled that girl onstage. Clever. It didn't even look like you were faking it."

I hadn't been, because I'd pulled Cammie onstage. This guy had been there. I was reeling.

"So, are you a scout?" I asked flat-out.

"A scout of sorts. I represent a number of artists for Pacific Entertainment."

Fucking Pacific Entertainment. They were top-notch. Right up there with some of the best labels from Sony and Universal.

"Nice gig."

"It has its benefits. Do you have a minute? Perhaps I could introduce you to one of my clients?" Max offered.

I glanced around backstage as if someone might snap me out of what was happening and tell me it was all a joke, but no one appeared. Jonas, Aaron, and Grant hadn't shown up yet. I was here to meet people from the label all on my own.

"Sure. Why not?"

Max spoke to the people he recognized as we passed them. Some, he even stopped to introduce me. I wasn't going to remember them for shit, but it was a nice gesture. Some of the bands I knew. I couldn't remember faces, but music, that was a different story.

We rounded a corner, and Max stopped in front of a black door.

He knocked twice and then entered. "Hey, guys!"

"Max!" two guys cheered.

Another yelled out, "Hey, man!"

The room smelled like booze and pot. A myriad of girls were sitting on different guys' laps. People were lounging on the furniture and taking shots at the bar. It seemed like the exact place I would have wanted to be just a few months ago. Maybe I still did.

Max walked around as if he were everyone's best friend. A handshake here, a fist bump there, and a few snide remarks until he'd made a full circuit.

"Guys, this is Zach Goode. He's the lead singer of BlackThorne."

"Stellar," one guy said. He looked completely obliterated.

"Dude, nice Gibson," another guy said.

I really wanted to say that these guys looked familiar. There was a nagging feeling at the back of my mind, but I just couldn't place them. And maybe I should care more, but I didn't.

"Zach, this is Donovan, Ridley, Joey, Nic, and Trevor."

 _No. Fucking. Way._

"The Drift."

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

As soon as I opened the door to my room, everyone started speaking at once, begging for details on what happened last night.

"You did it, didn't you?" Bex shrieked.

"Did what?"

I knew I wasn't going to be able to keep this from them. Bex, Macey, and Liz had been trying to get me to lose my virginity in the year and a half since I started living with them. It had been downright shocking to them that I still had my V-card after all this time. Well, I guessed I didn't have it anymore.

A smile touched my lips.

"You did! I know that smile!" Bex continued.

"Bex, leave her be," Liz said.

"But did you?" Macey asked with her own impish grin.

"You guys are so nosy." I tried to walk around them to my luggage. I seriously was in need of a shower and change of clothes.

Bex started giggling. "You can't even walk straight."

"I'm _fine_."

"We're just excited for you," Macey said, smacking Bex on the arm.

I flounced down on to the bed and sighed. As much as I wanted to remain stoic about the whole thing and keep so much of it private, these girls were my best friends. And we shared everything with each other!

"Spill the details!" Bex cried.

I opened my out to tell them what had happened, but instead, I said the first thing that came to mind. "I heard you were with Grant last night."

"Um…yeah! It was bloody amazing."

"Yeah, actually, she won't shut up about it," Macey said.

"I could probably give you a play-by-play," Liz confirmed.

A part of me wanted to tell Bex what had happened between Grant, Aaron, and Sydney. She should know what she was getting into, especially if Grant didn't actually want her like she so clearly wanted him. But as she started yammering on about a slew of things I didn't want to know about her night with Grant, I just couldn't break it to her. She was too happy. Plus, Sydney lived in Maine. It probably wasn't like that was going anywhere. And Sydney looked more interested in Aaron, anyway.

Macey snapped her fingers in front of my face. "Earth to Cammie. Was Zach really that good?"

"What?" I asked in a daze.

"We were talking, and you were off in la-la-land," Liz said.

"Oh my God, would you _please_ just tell us that you slept with him?" Bex pleaded.

Although it was obvious what the answer to their question was considering I never came back last night and I was waddling around like a penguin, according to Zach, I still decided to say it out loud. "Fine. Zach and I slept together."

I would have thought that I'd just won a million dollars in the lottery with the enthusiasm from my roommates. In the society I came from, virginity was praised and encouraged. It was bizarre to have my friends cheer me on for losing such a virtue.

"I can't believe it took you guys this long, but I'm so happy for you," Bex said. "Was it amazing? Is he huge? Was it rough?"

"What _are_ you talking about? It was my first time! I think I would've died if he had been rough," I said, exasperated.

"Yeah, but…was he, like, gentle then? Did you go back to back? I bet he's been dying for this. I bet he went again right away."

My face flushed. I did _not_ want to talk about this. _Did those things actually happen? I thought I was pushing it by having sex again the next afternoon!_

"Bex, you're freaking her out again," Macey said.

"I'm not freaked out!"

"Your face is super red," Liz murmured.

 _Thanks, Liz._

"It could be because I'm getting drilled on my sex life!"

"That's not the only thing that's drilling you," Bex said with a giggle.

I glared at her while giggles escaped Macey and Liz, too. Seriously, was everyone immature?

"So…seriously," Macey started, eyeing me in earnest, "worth the wait?"

My mind wandered off to the feel of Zach's arms around me, his mouth against mine, my body reacting to his touch.

"Totally worth the wait."

* * *

After my shower, the girls insisted that I wear something nice for the BlackThorne Show, so I decided on a V-cut blue sweater tucked into a high-waisted Aztec-print skirt with my ankle booties. I had plans to meet with Zach ahead of time, but the girls decided to walk down to the lodge with me.

Zach had given me vague directions on how to get backstage, so I waved good-bye to my friends and walked around to the back of the building. There was a side entrance with a guy standing nearby, absentmindedly texting on his phone. I wasn't sure if I should check in with him or not. Zach hadn't mentioned it. I decided to just pretend like I was supposed to be here and walk right in.

The guy barely glanced up at me as he muttered under his breath, "Who are you here with?"

"BlackThorne," I said stiffly.

"Okay," he said with a shrug.

 _Top-notch security. Seriously, top-notch._

I walked through the employee-only door to backstage. Zach had been right. This was nothing like being backstage at The League. The room was massive with enough space for a medium-sized theater production. Band equipment was everywhere from drum sets being assembled to keyboards being wheeled into position to several thousand-dollar guitars lying haphazardly across couches. I knew Zach would never treat his guitar so carelessly.

Amidst all the chaos of bands, groupies, and staff, I was somehow supposed to find Zach. My eyes roamed the room, but there were simply too many people for me to pick him out. I shot off a text asking him where he was and then started to wander around the room.

I'd made it halfway when I spotted Jonas and Aaron off in a corner. Aaron was in a short-sleeved shirt showing off the intricate tattoos that ran up his arm and across his chest. He was flipping his drumstick in one hand and smoking. Jonas, as usual, was dressed nicer in a clean polo with his black hair pushed away from his face.

"Hey, guys. Have you seen Zach?" I asked as I approached.

They both turned to look at me.

"We thought he was with you," Jonas said.

"Nope. We agreed to meet here. I haven't heard from him since I left, though."

"Strange," Aaron said.

"Yeah, he was supposed to be here already. We were expecting Grant to be late, but not Zach."

"Try giving him a call," I told them. "I'm going to do another sweep, and I'll meet you back over here."

I was lost in thought about Zach being late for the band's assigned meeting time. He wasn't a forgetful person. _Where is he?_

As these thoughts swirled in my head, a hand reached out to stop me. I turned around and shook the guy off of me.

The last thing I would consider myself was someone who got muddled by a pretty face. After all, I'd held off on Zach for a while before caving in. But this guy…he was beautiful. Straight out of a magazine, model-worthy beautiful. One look into his blue eyes told me he knew it, too. Tall, trim but muscular, perfect skin—probably better skin than me—with flawless tousled hair and full lips. A guy like this made me feel flat and dull.

At least I still have my charming personality.

"Can I help you?" I snapped.

"I think you can." His eyes shifted to my chest.

"I don't think so."

I started to walk away, and he cut me off. "You are truly striking with the most incredible lips."

"Is this a walking Little Red Riding Hood joke?"

That startled him. "No joke. You're beautiful. Did you want to come meet the rest of my band? I'm sure you've heard of us."

 _Doubtful._ "Nope. Just looking for my _boyfriend_."

"Perhaps he shouldn't have left you unattended."

"What is this? The seventeenth century?"

The guy laughed again and then stuck out his hand. "I'm Donovan Jenkins. I sing lead in The Drift."

 _Oh. Well, damn._ I actually did know who they were. Worse yet, I actually _liked_ their latest single.

"Ah…so you _have_ heard of us," he said with a smirk. He must have noticed the recognition on my face and found it amusing.

"I think everyone has heard of you. As nice as it is to meet you, I really am just looking for my boyfriend, Zach Goode."

"Oh, Zach?" Donovan asked. "Yeah, he's cool. He's hanging out with us."

"What?" I asked, surprised.

"Yeah. Come with me," Donovan said, slinging his arm across my shoulders.

I shrugged him off again but followed. _What would Zach be doing with The Drift?_

We rounded a corner, and then Donovan opened a door to a private room. It was like walking into a crowded nightclub. Music was blasting, booze was everywhere, and smoke coated the air, making it nearly impossible to see in the dim lighting. A few girls were dancing on the center table while others were draped across every available space in the room, and a couple was making out in the back corner. I was pretty sure I saw someone snorting a line of coke on the bar.

I coughed to clear the smoke from my lungs, and Donovan closed the door behind me. He draped his arm across my shoulders again, but there wasn't enough room to wiggle away, and he was already walking us away from the door.

Donovan easily maneuvered me through the crowd. Everyone knew him, and people seemed to part like the Red Sea in his wake.

Then, he stopped and whispered in my ear, "That your boy?"

There was Zach—sitting on a couch, drinking whiskey straight out of the bottle, a cigarette hanging between his lips, chatting and laughing with two guys sitting across from him. His arms were resting across the back of the couch, and two girls were cozied up beside him.

One of them I even recognized. _Tina? What the hell?_

* * *

 **So, like I said last time, this one was kind of a filler chapter...but can't you just feel the dramatic tension growing?! This trip just got a whole lot more interesting ;)**

 **Thanks for reading/reviewing/following/favoriting! My readers are the only reason I continue to write, and they're also why I'm such a procrastinator when it comes to school work! Stay awesome y'all!**

 **I couldn't find a quote that sort of tied into this chapter, so I just picked one of my favorite random ones (:**

 _"Joe Solomon is many things, Cammie. But crazy? Crazy is the one that I don't think I'll ever believe."_ **Mr. Smith, Only the Good Spy Young**


	18. Chapter 18

**I kind of left things on a cliff-hanger, so let's just jump right in, shall we? (:**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

"Hey, Zach!"

Disoriented in the smoke-filled room, I glanced up to try to see who had called my name. _Holy shit, the room is spinning. How much of this did I drink?_ I glanced at the bottle in my hand and saw that it was more than half gone. I couldn't have killed all that by myself.

I slammed the bottle back down on the table, pulled a drag on my cigarette, and then stubbed it out in the ashtray. A girl pulled on my arm, but I shrugged her off and stood. Then, I caught sight of who had spoken—Donovan.

And he had his arm around my girl.

Then, I got a glimpse of Cammie. And, shit, did she look smoking hot. She was wearing a short skirt that hugged her body and her chest was on full display.

 _I'd been inside that._

 _Why the hell is Donovan touching my girl?_

My anger fueled me forward, and I managed to surge toward them without stumbling. "What the fuck is this?" I growled.

Cammie's eyes smoldered. I knew what that look meant. Even in my haze, I knew that the girl I'd fallen for—the one who had drugged me and then laughed in my face at the suggestion of ever seeing me again—was about to rear her head. My mouthy little thing looked about two seconds away from punching me in the face. Instead of infuriating me, it only turned me on.

"Hey, man. I found your _girlfriend_ ," Donovan said the word like his didn't understand what it meant. And the way his hand slid down her arm to her waist made it seem like he might actually not believe in the word.

I hadn't believed in the word before Cammie, either. And if he didn't back the fuck off, I was going to lay his ass on the floor. I didn't give a shit that his loyal and dedicated fans and bandmates surrounded me. I was going to knock his ass into tomorrow. But I didn't get a chance because Cammie was already squirming away from him.

"Cut it out," she said, slapping at his hand. "I'm not a groupie. Go grope someone else."

I grabbed her wrist and pulled her into my chest. "Yeah, she's not a fucking groupie. You lay one more hand on her, and I'll fucking destroy you."

The people around us were getting wind of what was happening, and the noise was dying out.

Cammie smacked me on the arm. "You don't touch me either!"

"Gallagher Girl..."

"Don't even start that shit with me," she growled.

"You've got a live one, Goode," Donovan said.

Cammie shot him a death glare, but her anger was really directed at me. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Having a good time," I offered lightly.

Apparently, that had been the wrong answer.

"Having a good time? Because it's a great time to get wasted and high with a bunch of girls who have probably been with every guy in the room."

"Babe, it's normal to be jealous," Donovan said with laughter in his voice. "This is just the life."

"Why don't you stay out of this?" she asked. She turned back to me. "You left Jonas and Aaron out there without a word right before your set. You're trashed. How are you supposed to perform?"

I just shook my head. She didn't need to be laying this shit on me right now. "I've performed blitzed out of my mind before."

"You're acting like an idiot. You're not _this_ person. These guys are feeding into your personality, and you're just sitting idly by and letting it happen."

"I'm just having a good time, Gallagher Girl."

I was starting to get irritated. I wasn't a child. She didn't need to lecture me. _Why shouldn't I get to hang out with another band? Another very successful band?_ I wasn't ditching my boys. I wasn't ditching her. I was just meeting new people and getting drunk.

"Yeah," Donovan said. He was practically giddy. "Why don't you have a good time with us, too?"

He reached for her again, like she was a toy he wanted to play with.

Cammie deflected his advance. "Do I look like I'm here for your amusement, pretty boy?"

"You're pretty amusing. Everyone else thinks so."

Cammie glanced around, and it seemed to dawn on her that we had an audience. Her cheeks colored. I could see her withdraw from the world around her. She hated crowds, and she hated being noticed. I saw the same panic in her eyes now that I had seen the time we'd been on the quad when she'd flipped her shit on me.

"Whatever. Have your fun then," she said.

She was silently pleading with me, but I was pissed, too. _Who does she think she is to come in here and bitch me out in front of all these people?_

I crossed my arms. "All right."

She shook her head at me in disbelief and then turned and started walking out the room. Donovan started walking after her, but Max got in his way at the exit. _Good._ I wouldn't have to beat the shit out of him. I kind of liked the guy. But he couldn't touch Cammie.

At her exit, everyone started talking again, and the room quickly returned back to its earlier state of debauchery. My thoughts were swirling in my head, telling me that I should go after her. I was an idiot. I should make this right. She was too good for me. I was just a drunk loser who had managed to win a girl I didn't deserve. If I wanted to keep her, I needed to go. _Right now_.

But I remained rooted to my spot. I wasn't going to go after her. She had embarrassed both of us. They weren't just some band. They were also my future colleagues. These were people I needed to know if I wanted to get picked up. Having a girlfriend chastise me in front of everyone wasn't exactly a way to endear myself to them.

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

 _I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry. I'm not going to cry._

Tears welled in my eyes, and I took several healing breaths to try to keep them at bay. I couldn't believe what had just happened. I couldn't believe I'd just seen Zach in that state. I couldn't believe how that argument had just gone down. I just couldn't believe that all he had said was that he was having a good time.

 _God, he's being so careless._ It wasn't just the girls. Though, the whole Tina thing was irritating. _Is that what all that shit had been about in class? Is she interested in Zach? Ugh, I don't want to think about it._

Either way, while the girls had irritated me, I didn't actually think he would do anything. He'd had his chance for months, and he'd said that he hadn't. Of course, he could have been lying…

 _No, Zach wouldn't do that to me._

The truth of the matter was that I was more worried about him throwing away everything he'd worked for. It had been clear he thought The Drift could help them get signed. But he obviously hadn't thought about the fact that none of the _other_ guys had gotten an invite to the private party. To me, that meant they wanted him, not the band, and that was something he absolutely would not agree to. _Would he agree to that if he were obliterated like he was?_

 _No. No way._

 _Gah!_ Even when I was pissed at him, I was more concerned for his well-being than anything. _Stupid. Stupid! Why should I bother being concerned about his future when he isn't?_

Then, I thought back to the way he had treated me. One second, he had manhandled me and said he was going to destroy Donovan if he touched me, and the next second, he hadn't said a damn word when I was being humiliated. After what had happened last night and this afternoon, I just couldn't fathom what the hell his problem was.

I found Jonas and Aaron almost as soon as I'd exited the private room. They looked at me and then at each other with worry between their eyebrows. I hadn't hung out with them all that much, but I must have looked a wreck to get that much concern from them.

"What happened?" Jonas asked.

I swept my hand under my eyes and shook my head. I never got like this. I'd been broken up with countless times, and I had never shed a tear. Zach and I were just arguing, and I was crying.

To my surprise, it was Aaron who comforted me. "Zach's kind of an ass. He probably didn't mean whatever he said."

"That's comforting," I said sarcastically.

"We've known him for a long time. He doesn't exactly have a way with words."

They were probably right, but I just wanted to walk back into the room and punch Zach in the face. When I could speak without a shuddering breath, I finally told them. "He's with The Drift."

"What?" Jonas gasped.

Aaron looked just as shocked.

"I don't have any idea what he's doing, but he's all messed up."

"Damn it! And we have to go on soon," Aaron said.

"No Zach and no Grant," Jonas said, looking at Aaron accusingly. "This is going to be a great show."

"Grant will be here," Aaron grumbled, equally as annoyed.

"I'm just going to go back inside and hang out with my friends. Zach was going to show me around backstage, but obviously, that isn't happening."

"Do we need to go get Zach?" Jonas asked.

I shrugged. Honestly, I didn't know. Zach was pissed, but I couldn't imagine him not playing the show. Music was his passion. It had gotten him through much worse times than this. I didn't care how messed up he was. He would never ditch a show.

"I think he'll show."

Aaron nodded. "He's never ditched us before."

A flicker of worry passed across Jonas's face. _Did he know that it's a very real possibility that record labels are interested in Zach, but not necessarily BlackThorne? Is he worried that the more time Zach spent with other bands, the more likely he might sell out?_ It was my worry…my fear. I hated seeing it reflected back to me.

"No, he wouldn't," Jonas finally agreed.

Just as I was turning to leave, I saw Grant stalking across the room.

"Looks like you're only one short," I said.

I didn't want to be here to see this confrontation. Hopefully, Grant had taken Jonas's advice, calmed down, and left that shit behind him. By the fury on his face though, I was starting to think he didn't do calm.

"So, I'm fucking here," Grant said.

"And I'm leaving," I said.

"Hey, where's Zach?"

"Occupied."

Grant raised his eyebrows at me. "Well, if he is, do you want to be?"

Jonas smacked him on the chest. "Not right now, bro."

"What? If Zach is fucking some other girl, then I can fuck his girl. That's how it works, right?"

Grant and Aaron glared at each other.

"Drop it," Jonas snapped.

I heard Aaron say something else, but I was already walking away. The band went on in thirty minutes, and I didn't want to be backstage when Zach surfaced. I was having a hard enough time keeping my emotions under control around his friends. I wasn't sure what I would do when I came face-to-face with Zach again.

Bex, Macey, and Liz had staked out a spot near the front of the stage. Drinks in hand, they were discussing the last band who had performed. Apparently, the lead singer had been dressed in drag, and the band had played "Piano Man" to close their set. They said that it had been a sight to behold.

"What was backstage like?" Macey asked me.

The crew was onstage setting up BlackThorne's equipment.

I wrinkled my nose. "Full of sluts and booze."

Bex laughed. "Isn't that everywhere?"

"Did you get to meet other bands?" Liz asked.

"Yeah," I said, grinding my teeth together.

"Which ones?"

I sighed. "The Drift."

The girls all just stared at me.

"Oh. Ha-ha. That's cute," Bex said, rolling her caramel eyes.

They didn't believe me. _Good._ I didn't want to talk about it.

"I think she's being serious, Bex," Macey said.

"Who did you meet?" Liz asked, wide-eyed.

I didn't miss a beat. "Donovan Jenkins."

"Holy shit!" Bex whispered. "He's bloody gorgeous."

"Yep," I said stiffly. "He tried to get me to become his groupie. I turned him down." I sent her a scathing smile.

"You know, when you do that, I really can't tell if you're serious or being a sarcastic bitch like normal."

I laughed and gave Bex a hug. She looked positively stunned by the display of affection.

"I'm glad you're my friend, Bex, or else I'd probably hate you."

"I feel like that all the time."

The lights flickered, announcing the start of the next band, and my heart raced in anticipation. We were jostled forward as the crowd pressed in on the stage. I was moved closer and closer, and all I could think about was my argument with Zach. I was so angry with him, but at the same time, I just wanted it to be right.

Things felt…complete when we were together. Despite our differences, we worked. But then again, I remembered the way he had drunkenly looked at me, like I was an embarrassment to him, and it solidified my anger. I'd rather make him beg than give in to the girlie feeling of helplessness over a man.

The band walked onstage. First, Aaron took a seat at his drum set, then Jonas walked to the far side of the stage, then Grant followed, his typical charisma returning with the start of the show…then Zach. The crowd whooped as he strode confidently onstage. Only I could notice the swagger in his walk was from liquor.

Zach gripped the microphone in his hand, and I couldn't help it. My heart skipped a beat. _Damn him for making me feel this way!_

"What's up Poconos music festival?" he called into the mic. "We're BlackThorne. Here tonight from Roseville, Virginia. Any people from Virginia in the house?"

A huge crowd cheered, my friends among them.

"We're opening tonight with a song written for Virginia about getting the fuck out of there. Every now and then, you just want to leave your home and be somewhere else. This song is 'Hemorrhage.'"

Our eyes locked right before he started in on the first verse, and then he was just a presence taking over the ski lodge. I was compelled to him as much as I was repulsed by his shit behavior.

"We have a few more songs for you tonight, but this one…this one is new."

I narrowed my eyes at the stutter in his voice. Zach didn't stutter. His gaze shifted to mine, and then his eyes didn't move.

He was staring right at me. "We call this one 'Life Raft.'"

Grant started up on the melody, and then Aaron chimed in with a slower beat. Jonas brought in the bass, and then Zach started strumming his guitar. My mouth dropped open slightly. He seemed to nod at me as if telling me that I did know this one. It was what he had been playing earlier today in his suite.

I let the sounds of the strings wash over me just as Zach's voice came through the speakers. I didn't want this. He wasn't supposed to charm me onstage while I was angry at him. I deserved an apology.

But then I heard the chorus.

 _You saved me from drowning._

 _You saved me from myself._

 _You're my life raft. In an endless ocean._

I'd heard those words before. He'd said them to me last night…right before we slept together. This song was for me. It was about us.

I fought back tears and remembered what we had said earlier.

 _Are you going to sing for me?_

 _Tonight._

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

Cammie was crying.

 _Shit._ I hoped that was a good thing. I hadn't intended on making her cry. I'd poured everything into this song when I wrote it while she'd been gone over Thanksgiving break. I couldn't believe I'd actually spoken the lyrics to her right before we had sex last night. But the words were for her. I'd written them to express how I felt when I was around her.

Even drunk and angry, I couldn't deny that the words were true. I had been pissed, and I'd let her walk away. I hadn't even gone after her. Maybe I was never meant to be a boyfriend. I should have stood up for her, or at the very least, I should have taken our conversation to a private location. I'd known what she was feeling, but instead, I'd just stood there.

Donovan and Max had spoken to me afterward to make sure everything was all right. It had felt strange having this conversation with them. I didn't even know them, but they seemed cool and, damn, was the life incredible. It was like living in a dream—a dream that hovered just on the edge of reality.

I could have this. All I had to do was reach out and take it. Max wanted to talk after the show. I'd given him a dismissive answer, but I really wanted to find out what he wanted. He'd be stupid to give me the same offer that Frank had tried to spell out for me, but Max seemed to have a bit more sense than Frank.

Even if he didn't, though, and he really did want to offer me a solo deal, I knew I'd still talk to him. I'd never been one to deny myself anything, and I wasn't going to start ignoring the curiosity that sprang up.

That didn't mean I was going to walk out on the guys or Cammie. _It just meant…well, what the fuck did it mean? That I'm keeping my options open?_ I wasn't. I wouldn't compromise what I believed in. I just wasn't stupid enough to ignore the opportunity to get everything I wanted.

We closed out the set with "Letting You." The crowd cheered loudly with the success of our show. My eyes were locked on Cammie's. I needed to talk to her. I wanted to tell her to meet me now, that we needed to talk, that we needed to make this right between us. But I couldn't. I'd talk to her later. By then, maybe my anger wouldn't be simmering so close to the surface.

Max was waiting just offstage when we exited. He clapped me on the back like we were old friends. "Fucking great show, Zach!"

"Thanks."

I tried to keep my enthusiasm to a minimum, but Max had a certain charisma about him that made something simple sound amazing. I could understand how he'd gotten so far in the business.

"So, we good to talk? I got us a room."

Jonas, Aaron, and Grant looked at me expectantly. _Yeah, shit._ I hadn't told them about this. I hadn't even told them that I was with The Drift when I'd joined them earlier. "The guys can come with us, right?"

"Of course! Max Edwards. Nice to meet you," he said, shaking they guys' hands.

Jonas's face relaxed. "We've spoken on the phone. Great to finally meet you in person."

In hushed whispers, I filled the guys in on what I knew and why Max wanted to speak with me…us. This was our opportunity, just like we had all been saying.

We walked into a small room that was strangely reminiscent of our meeting with Frank—except Max lounged casually against the wall with his arms crossed and a big smile on his face.

"BlackThorne," Max said like he was testing the weight of the word. "Glad you guys are here. I was lucky enough to see your Halloween performance while I was in town, and after seeing what I just saw, I think you have a pretty marketable look and sound."

Everyone tensed, anticipating the letdown.

"What are your plans for New Year's Eve?"

I glanced over at Jonas. Our eyes met, and he shrugged. _Nothing._ I'd been planning to go home to Joe's with Sydney while Cammie was out of town, but I could cancel. It seemed like the same thing passed over everyone's faces.

"No plans," Jonas said.

"How would you like to open for The Drift in New York City?"

It took a split second for reality to set in. _Holy shit!_ We were being invited to play a _huge_ show in the city. The Drift played sold-out shows all across the country. Opening for them could be our in.

"Are we signing a contract? Or is it just for the one show?" Jonas asked, always getting straight to business.

"No official label contracts just yet," Max said. "We're looking for you guys for this show, and then based on how everything turns out, we'll discuss terms from there."

 _Another audition._ Well, this one already seemed like a better opportunity than the show that Frank had shown up for. Max had said _yet_. That had sounded promising. I knew we'd rock out any show we performed, and this time, there was no mention of me ditching the band.

"So, are you in?"

"Definitely!" I said.

All the guys agreed.

Max handed us paperwork to fill out to confirm that we would be in attendance on New Year's Eve. I scribbled down my information and then handed it off to Max.

"Goode!" he called, stopping me at the door. "Are you going to be around the rest of the night? I'd love for you to introduce the rest of the band to The Drift."

I smiled, feeling as light as air. "Yeah. Let me just put my guitar back in my room, and I'll come back."

"Perfect."

I exited with the guys, and despite the high I was on, I could tell Jonas and Aaron wanted to say something. I wasn't going to push them to initiate a conversation though. If they wanted to talk to me about hanging with the band, they could, but I'd helped get us this gig, so they couldn't be pissed with me.

"I'll meet you back here later," I said.

Jonas opened his mouth to say something but then shook his head. Aaron nudged him, but Jonas just grumbled something under his breath.

"Man, you going to talk to Cammie?" Aaron asked.

I was taken aback. "Why?"

"She just walked out of here pretty upset earlier," Jonas offered.

"She was crying," Aaron added.

 _I'd made her cry? Damn it, I need to talk to her. But what the fuck am I supposed to say?_

"I don't know," I finally said.

"Just remember what I said about her," Jonas said, giving me a knowing look.

 _How could I ever forget that Jonas had said Cammie had knocked humanity into me? What kind of person would I be at this point without her?_ I for sure would have banged one of those chicks in the back room, if not more than one. I would have pushed the limits. All right, I'd talk to her when I got back.

I told them as much before walking out of the venue with my guitar strapped to my back, leaving the rest of the guys to hang out backstage.

It was cold outside, and the temperature sobered me up further. I'd been a dick to Cammie. She'd been out of line, but I'd acted like…well, like me. I'd done what I always did. And she was better than that.

My thoughts were broken when I heard what sounded like someone falling behind me. I turned around and saw a girl sitting heavily on the ice. She was wincing and holding her hand against her chest.

"Hey, are you okay?"

"Um…yeah. I just hit the ground pretty hard."

"How's your hand?"

She grimaced. "It's bleeding a bit."

"Need help getting back inside or anything?"

I wasn't exactly chivalrous, but she was kind of pretty. I would feel like a dick just leaving her out here. After how I'd treated Cammie this afternoon, I felt like maybe I owed it to this girl to be nice. Karma shit and all that.

"Oh, no, thanks. My cabin is just ahead. I'll just go clean it up there." She struggled to her feet and started walking uneasily again.

"I'm this way, too."

She finally looked up into my face, and I swore I'd seen her somewhere.

She smiled, and we walked together in silence. Before Cammie, I probably would have taken this girl up to my room for a quickie or something.

We reached the ski resort hotel, and she started rifling through the small purse in her hand. I nodded to her and started to walk in the opposite direction. I let the feeling of giving up easy game pass over me. I'd have Cammie alone later, and I'd convincer her to have pretty epic make-up sex.

"Hey!" the girl called, jogging up to me. "Sorry to bother you again, but, um…I don't have my key. Do you think I could wash my hand in your place before braving the cold again?" She suggestively fluttered her eyelashes at me.

I wondered briefly if she was telling the truth or just trying to get a step closer to my bed.

I could have sent her back to the lodge. It wouldn't be the worst thing I'd ever done to a chick before, but it wasn't like it would really hurt anything. I was heading right back out anyway.

"Sure. I'm going back to the lodge after I put my guitar up. I'm Zach."

She smiled a knowing, maybe even triumphant smile. "I'm Tina."

* * *

 **Uh-oh... Who knew Tina was going to be trouble? Everyone? Oh...makes sense.**

 **Zach wrote and sang a song for Cammie! How cute is that?! I mean, they may have just had a _huge_ argument and Zach let her leave without going after her and now she's all upset, but that kind of makes up for it, right? Just a little...? I guess you'll just have to wait and see ;)**

 **Next chapter is going to be super intense...anybody up for an emotional rollercoaster?**

 **Big thanks for all the love and reviews sent my way (: And for my readers in the U.S., I hope you had an amazing Halloween :D Stay awesome y'all!**

 _"Once is a stranger; twice is a coincidence; three times is a tail."_ **Ally Carter, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy**


	19. Chapter 19

_**{Cammie}**_

As much as I'd wanted to rush backstage to talk to Zach, I'd forced myself to chat with my friends for a few minutes. A knot formed in my stomach over what had happened, and I just wanted to scream.

 _How could he go from having sex with me to getting drunk with some girls to acting like a total jackass to serenading me onstage all in the span of an afternoon?_

I didn't care how wasted he was. I knew that I needed to talk to him. Zach was just being stupid and stubborn. I might have been in the wrong by going on the defensive when I'd found him backstage, but he would have flipped his shit if he had found me in the same state. I wanted him to have his space to be the person he wanted to be, but I didn't want that to jeopardize who he really was.

My mind was all clouded. I was going to agonize about this all night if I didn't go and find Zach.

When I made it backstage, the room was even more packed than it had been before. The later shows were supposed to be completely full, and bands were getting their equipment together.

And unfortunately, that meant The Drift was among them, and none other than Donovan Jenkins had found me almost immediately.

"You following me, beautiful?" he asked with a wink.

"Hardly. I'm looking for Zach."

"Again?"

"Yes, again," I snapped.

"You should reconsider your seventeenth-century assumptions and keep a closer eye on him."

 _Okay, I didn't care how much I liked The Drift's music. Donovan was officially on my shitlist._

"I don't _need_ to keep a closer eye on him. Now, if you haven't seen him, then I'm going to continue looking."

He reached out and grabbed my arm as I started to walk away.

I stared down at it in disgust. "Don't touch me."

He slowly released me. "You're not like other girls."

"I've heard that before."

"Well, I haven't seen your boy. He probably went off to celebrate."

My stomach fluttered. This didn't sound good. "Celebrate what?"

"BlackThorne is opening for us. New Year's Eve in New York City. They just signed the paperwork after the show. Are you going to be there, too?" He gave me his most dazzling smile.

And yeah, damn, he was attractive, but all I could focus on was the fact that Zach was opening for The Drift in the city. I was happy for him. This was what he'd wanted, but still…the news scared me. It made my stomach twist, and I felt a bit nauseous.

Zach hadn't told me about this. As far as I could tell, he hadn't even come looking for me. And now, I didn't know where he was, except for hearing Donovan's vague notion of _celebrating_. That didn't sit right with me either.

"Hey, Cammie," Jonas said, walking up to us.

Aaron had followed, and standing awfully close to him was Sydney who had finally reappeared after the blowout with Grant.

"Hey. Have you seen Zach?" I asked with a weird sense of déjà vu.

"Yeah. He went up to put his guitar away. He should be back any minute."

I released the breath I hadn't realized I'd been holding. _Just putting his guitar away. Totally normal. No reason for me to worry._

"Hey, Cammie?" Donovan said.

 _Great_ _, he knows my name now._

"Think about New Year's."

I rolled my eyes and kept walking. I couldn't even dignify that with a response. If I was going to be in New York City for New Year's, then I was going to be with Zach. Donovan Jenkins wasn't even on my radar.

Once I reached the door to Zach's suite, I took a deep breath. I wasn't looking forward to this conversation, but it was necessary. I pushed open the door and froze. My stomach lurched, and I felt all the air push out of my lungs. Zach was standing there, just outside of his bedroom, kissing a naked woman.

My gasp must have brought him out of his stupor, and he forcefully shoved the woman away from him. That was when I recognized her—Tina.

My head spun, and I latched on to the doorframe for support. Zach turned abruptly, and our eyes met across the distance.

"Cam," he whispered, his face aghast.

I thought I might be sick. Bile touched my throat, and I had to push it down to keep from throwing up. I'd never doubted him. I'd asked him if he had been sleeping with other women before we were serious, and I believed him when he'd said that he hadn't. Even in a compromising position back in the private room, I'd never once suspected that he was cheating on me. And now…with the proof before my eyes, I just felt disgusted with him, with myself, with everything. _How had I actually_ believed _him?_

"This isn't what it looks like," he said, his hands splayed out in front of him.

"What does it look like, Zach?" My voice was shaking.

"Bad. It looks bad."

"Oh, Cammie," Tina said sweetly. She didn't even bother covering up. "Are you guys still together? Zach never said—"

"Shut your fucking mouth!" he roared. "Go put some clothes on and get the fuck out of my room."

"That's not what you were saying earlier."

"Are you out of your fucking _mind_?" he yelled.

Tina jumped at his harsh tone and darted into the bathroom.

I just stood there, unable to move forward or to run away. There were so many things I wanted to say, but I just watched as Zach screamed at Tina. She knew that we were together. Even if she had witnessed our argument, we hadn't broken up.

Zach's attention returned to me. He quickly walked across the room and tried to reach for me.

"Don't," I said menacingly.

"Cam," he pleaded.

The tears hit me without notice. Full-on hysterical tears that made my chest shake and my whole body tremble. This couldn't be happening to me. I'd given up so much for him. I'd concentrated less on school. I'd gone to all of his shows. I'd spent weekends with him instead of doing homework. I'd fucking given him my body and my heart.

He had told me about his family, and then he'd crushed me under the weight of his callous, abrasive nature. He'd let himself get drawn into things that fed his addictive personality. And after he'd had sex with me, he'd just pushed me aside without batting his eyes. I felt like a total idiot. I threw my hands over my face and just let the tears fall.

"Cammie, come on. Please let me try to explain."

I just shook my head. "I can't do this," I choked out.

"Do what?" he asked carefully.

My voice wavered as I said, " _This._ I can't do _this,_ Zach!"

"Us?"

"I don't know." And I didn't. I wanted him desperately, but I was hurting everywhere.

Tina took that moment to scurry out of the room. Luckily, she was fully dressed. She looked sullen that she was getting kicked out, but maybe a bit too cheerful when she caught a glimpse of my face. She strode over to the door where Zach and I were standing and gave me a smug look.

I couldn't help it. I just lashed out. My hand connected with her face with a satisfying crack that whipped her head back. She gasped, and her hand flew to her face. A big red handprint was already forming on her cheek.

"You bitch!" she shrieked.

"Fuck you," I spat. "You're a dirty whore. You'll never be better than a groupie slut who gets passed around like the disgusting piece of shit you are. No one will ever take you seriously! You're a fucking disgrace."

Tina lunged for me, but Zach was there first. He knocked her back into the door.

"Don't even think about it," he growled. "Get the fuck out of here."

"You just think you're fucking better than everyone else, Cammie. But you're no better than I am. You think he won't drop you for someone else just as fast?"

" _Get out!_ " Zach roared, shoving her out the door and slamming it in her face.

"I can't believe you," I lashed out at him as the tears continued to fall. "I can't believe you sang that song for me and then went off with another girl. I wasn't even worried about this shit! You couldn't have…I don't know…shopped around for someone who wasn't in my circle of friends? Someone I hadn't come on this trip with? Someone I wouldn't have to see _all the fucking time_?"

"Cammie, please listen to me. I did absolutely nothing with her!" Zach said. "She slipped on the ice. I was just letting her clean her hand before coming back downstairs. She came out of the bathroom naked and, like, attacked me."

"I don't want to hear your story!" I cried. "I'm sure you have a million explanations for why you had a naked girl in your room."

"No, only one explanation."

"I don't care. I can't believe I thought you would change."

"Cam, come on. I'm not the same person I was when we first met. The only person I want to be with is you."

"I find that hard to believe considering you just had a naked woman in your room."

"Just because I had a naked woman in my room doesn't mean I'm cheating on you!"

"The fact that you have a naked woman in your room at all should be a red flag! Don't you see how serious all this is?"

"I can't help what other people do."

"You had your hands on her!"

"I was shoving her away!"

I shook my head. We could argue in circles all night.

"Cammie, just listen to me."

"I was stupid. I got played so perfectly."

Zach ran his hands back through his hair and shook his head. "I'm not playing you, Gallagher Girl. You're the one that I want. Can't you see that?"

"No!" I said, losing it completely. "All I see is a very confused person who has a lot of emotional baggage but no idea how to treat people he cares about. You went with Donovan earlier without a thought for your friends. You humiliated me in front of a group of people. You just let me walk away, and you never came looking for me again. Then, I find you _kissing_ someone else! That does not sound like someone who wants to be with me! That sounds like someone who is congratulating himself on taking my virginity and moving on!"

Zach openly glared at me. "Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? You think I would treat you like that?"

"I think you would say anything to get a girl into bed," I said in my frustration. "You freaked out when you thought that I'd been talking to my ex-boyfriend. You told Donovan that you'd fucking destroy him if he came near me. But where were you? Off with some other girl? There's an insane double standard to everything happening right now, and you don't even see it."

"What do you want me to do? I'm trying. I've turned my world upside down for you."

" _What_ have you turned upside down?" I nearly screamed at him. "You're still playing your guitar, boozing, smoking, hanging around groupies. The only thing that's different is that you're _supposedly_ not sleeping around with everything that walks by."

"You have no idea what's changed in me…"

"That's the point! I don't know because you won't tell me. You confided in me about your parents. You gave me these dog tags. But for what? So you could take my virginity and then sleep with someone else? Well, congratulations! That's the only thing you're getting out of this whole trip. You have absolutely nothing to offer me. You're not educated, motivated, or ambitious. How could I _ever_ want someone like that?"

For a moment, Zach stood still, stunned into silence. I'd just thrown every insecurity of his in his face, feeding into his belief that he wasn't good enough for me.

Suddenly he frowned, his mouth set in a hard line and his eyes narrowed at me. "Oh, and you're perfect? You talk about your family like you're picture-fucking-perfect, but they're controlling. You live in a fucking bubble. You've never experienced anything because you're too scared of your own shadow. You might be educated, motivated, and ambitious, Gallagher Girl, but you have no common sense when it comes to the real world. Not to mention, you never shut up, and you think you're smarter than everyone else in the room."

"I _am_ smarter than everyone else in the room!" I screamed back in his face, a rage I couldn't control taking over.

I'd given everything to Zach, and now, we were just digging our heels in. We were being mean on purpose. Every single thing he'd said felt like a knife wound to my chest.

"I can't do this, Zach," I told him with a shake of my head.

He ground his teeth and took a deep breath. "Cammie…I'm sorry."

"No…" I backed away towards the closed door.

"We shouldn't have said those things."

"But you meant them. I meant them. That's all that matters."

"Cammie, please," he begged.

 _Too little, too late._

"I just need some space, some time to think," I whispered, the tears hitting my eyes again.

"No. Don't do this," he pleaded as he reached for me again.

I shook my head and avoided his grasp. "Just give me some time," I said before grabbing the knob and rushing out the door.

* * *

 **Did Cammie just break up with Zach?! O.o Holy shit! This was the hardest chapter to write because I knew y'all would hate me afterward... but it's okay! We still have quite a few more chapters left, so this doesn't necessarily mean the end of Zammie! Besides, Cammie said she just needed some time and space...that doesn't mean they're officially broken up...**

 **So...what do you think? I'm totally prepared for a ton of upset reviews, so don't hold back lol. Although, I'm one of those people who absolutely love drama, and when I first read _Take Me For Granted,_ this scene made me cry because it was so raw and real and I totally loved it! So no, I'm not sorry...(:**

 **Anyway, as always, thanks for all the reviews (: Stay awesome y'all!**

 _"Sometimes people run… to see if you'll come after them."_ **Joseph Solomon, Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover**


	20. Chapter 20

**So many of you guys were heartbroken about Zammie's argument that I almost thought about getting them back together... _almost_.**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

What the fuck just happened? The entire argument was a blur. It had been ugly, really ugly. The tears in her eyes still stung, and all I wanted to do was run out of this godforsaken room and make things right. But I knew that wouldn't help. Something deep down inside me told me that no matter what I said or did to try to fix this, it wouldn't work.

I'd broken her. Just like I feared I would. Even worse, I was broken too.

I'd never felt this kind of hurt before. Pain, yes. Pain I was used to. Pain and guilt and agonizing repressed memories and torture. But this…damn, this was like someone had taken a razorblade to my chest and started slicing through everything important.

 _How could I have been stupid enough to let Tina into my place?_ I hadn't been sober enough, or maybe I hadn't cared enough to put the pieces together. I'd seen her on more than one occasion, and I'd just never given two shits about who she was because she wasn't Cammie. She was the chick who had told me that Cammie was seeing her ex. She had been in The Drift's backstage room. She had probably slipped on the ice on purpose, just to get me to walk with her.

I was starting to feel like I had gotten played. I'd set my guitar down and shown her where the bathroom was. When she'd called my name, I hadn't even _thought_ she would put the moves on me. There simply wasn't anyone but Cammie anymore. Then, the chick had stepped out of the bathroom naked. And yeah, I'd looked. But I'd just shook my head and told her she needed to leave. Then, she'd literally forced herself on me.

It was my fault for letting her in. I wanted to throw something or put my fist through the wall, but that wouldn't bring Cammie back. Feeling defeated and even angrier, I stormed out of the suite and down to the lodge.

"Hey, bro. What took you so long?" Aaron asked when he saw me approaching.

Sydney was sitting on his lap, and Grant was nowhere to be found.

"Whoa! What's wrong? What happened?" he asked when he got a look at my face. He scooted Sydney to the side and stood.

"Alcohol. Now. Lots of it."

Sydney jumped up. "Cuz, you all right? You look murderous."

I just glared at her. "You got alcohol, Syd? Or are you not understanding?"

"Whoa there, asshole. I'm your cousin, not some groupie whore. Don't talk to me like that."

"Then, get out of my way because I think I need one."

Sydney gave me a disgusted look. Coming from her, it should have sent off warnings, but I just ignored it. Aaron, however, I couldn't ignore.

"No way. No can do. Cammie would kill you and me both if I let that happen."

"Well, she's not here, is she?"

"What's wrong with you?" Sydney snapped. "You're normally this disgusting pig but not with her."

"Are you done wasting my time?" I asked, pushing her out of my way and back onto the couch.

Aaron grabbed my arm, threw it behind me, and gave a small shove upward. "You going to stop acting like an idiot?" he asked.

As much as I wanted to pummel him, he had the upper hand and it wasn't him I was mad at. I was mad at Cammie. Or myself. Or Tina. But mostly myself.

Finally, I nodded, and Aaron released me.

"What's going on?"

"Yeah, cuz. What the fuck has gotten into you?"

I ground my teeth together and ignored Sydney as she placed herself back on Aaron's lap. _Great. One big fucking reminder of what I'd just completely trashed._

"I don't want to talk about it, so just lay off. I should go find Donovan since you two seem to be a bit lost in your own world, and all my other brothers are gone," I said bitterly.

"Something happen with Cammie?" Sydney probed.

"Did you not just hear me say that I didn't want to talk about it?" I bit back.

"All right," she relented.

"Are we done with the interrogation now?" I had other things on my mind, like booze and pot and women and incoherence and blacking out and forgetting that this shit day ever happened.

Aaron gave me a sympathetic look, like he'd already guessed what was going on without me telling him. "Are you sure you want to hang out with The Drift right now? Being around Donovan and the band might not be in your best interest."

I shook my head. "The only person who made me care about my best interest just fucking walked out on me, so I don't think it fucking matters what I do anymore."

* * *

I woke up at the crack of dawn before the sun had even begun to rise, feeling like absolute shit, and it wasn't just from the bottle of whiskey last night. _Cammie. No, this could_ not _be happening to my life._

I needed her. She reminded me what it was like to live without all the demons haunting me. She was the only person I'd ever cared enough about to invest time into. I couldn't just let her get away.

Throwing my legs over the bed, I immediately regretted my decision. I had a splitting headache and the sudden need to vomit. I braced myself on the side table and then stood up. Drinking with Donovan last night had been a terrible idea. The guy could drink me under the fucking table. He'd tried to throw groupies at me, but luckily, I hadn't been a total shithead. My bed was thankfully empty. I would have regretted that for the rest of my life.

I managed to change without throwing up, and then I was out the door.

I needed to talk to Cammie. I needed to make this right.

That conversation should have never happened. I'd been fucking wasted, and nothing I'd said had come out right. I should have told her that I would never even touch another girl if it meant we were together. I should have told her that Tina was nobody and that it was wrong for her to be in my suite and that I did understand how serious the situation was. I should have begged Cammie to stay. I should have followed her. A heavy cloud of regret settled in the pit of my stomach, and it did nothing for my hangover.

It was freezing cold when I finally reached her door. I banged on it as hard as I could until I felt like my hand was going to fall off from the cold.

"Cam! Are you there?" I yelled. "I need to talk to you about last night! Please, _please_ talk to me. Cammie! Come on! I was an idiot. A goddamn idiot. Look, I don't care how cold it is out here. I'll stand out here all day if you won't let me—"

Jonas opened the door. "Dude, I think we got that."

"What the…?" I asked, bewildered.

"I stayed the night." He shrugged like it was no big deal.

"With who?"

"Liz."

 _Huh, the little pixie. I would have never guessed._ "Is Cammie in there? I need to talk to her."

Jonas looked confused. "She left early this morning."

"Left for where?" My blood ran cold. _No. I need to fix this. She had to let me fix this._

"Man, I thought you knew. I would have told you."

"Where did she go?"

"Back to Roseville. I heard her tell Liz something about an early flight to Nebraska."

I dashed away back to my room. I heard Jonas yell something after me, but I didn't bother listening. I had to get back to Virginia. I had to see her. She could not leave for Nebraska before we talked.

I packed quickly and grabbed my guitar. I banged on Sydney's door. When nothing happened, I moved to Aaron's door. "I've got to leave. Take care of Sydney and make sure she gets back home okay."

Sydney's head popped out. "Wait, where are you going?"

"Home. See you later, cuz," I said as I rushed out the door.

The drive back to Roseville felt like it was taking forever. The roads were shit from a snowstorm that had blown in recently. It had been awesome on the slopes, but it wasn't so great to drive in. I was thankful for my truck and its four-wheel drive because I drove recklessly back to Cammie. I just had to get to her. I had to make it right.

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

I heard the beating on the door before Bex did. I dashed to her room and flung the door open wide. "Bex, you have to answer the door."

"Cam, are you sure about this? I've never known you to back away from confrontation," Bex said, her voice sleepy and sympathetic.

"I'm not backing down from confrontation. We had our confrontation last night, and it was horrible! I can't talk to him today. Please, I've never asked you for anything like this."

"Besides driving you back from the ski resort a day early when I was getting together with Grant?"

I shuddered. _Grant. Gross._ "Thank you. You're the best friend ever."

"All right, but I'm only doing this because I love you," Bex said.

She walked to the door, and I huddled on the floor around the corner, just within earshot of the conversation that was about to go down.

I hadn't thought that Zach would follow me. I'd made a split second decision this morning to come back to Virginia. I'd even called my parents and asked if we could move up the flight to Nebraska, so I could come home earlier. They'd been surprised since I'd insisted on going on the ski trip in the first place, but they missed me too much to complain.

Now, Zach was here. _What do I do now that he's here?_

"Zach…hey," Bex answered warily.

"Where is she, Bex?"

My heart pounded from the sound of his voice. I just wanted some space. I needed time to think about whether or not this was what I wanted, but then hearing his voice…it just brought back all the memories.

"She left already."

"What? No way. Her car is still out there!"

"I dropped her off."

"In Richmond?" he asked incredulously. "You would have never made it back by now."

I watched Bex shrug. She was lying for me. I would squeeze her if I didn't feel like a total jerk for cowering behind a corner while she fought my battles for me.

"Come on, I know she's in there. I need to talk to her."

"I already said she's not here. You should just go back home."

"Cammie!" he yelled.

I heard his hand hit the door gently to keep Bex from closing it.

"Cammie, I know you're in there! Just come talk to me. Can't we talk about this?"

I closed my eyes and put my head between my knees. God, I just wanted to run to him. I wanted to see him and have that feeling of completion again. But I couldn't forget our argument, and I wasn't ready to have another one. I'd asked for time, and I still needed it.

"She's not in here!" Bex yelled back. "And even if she were, do you think she would want to talk to you with all this yelling? Haven't you done enough damage?"

"I just want to fix this," he told her. "She has to know how I feel about her."

 _Oh no, not the tears again._

"Well, if you really care about her, I think the best thing to do is to just back off. She's stressed. She's never been in this kind of situation. I told her you were going to break her heart, but she wouldn't listen."

I felt the tears trickle down my face at Bex's words. There was the _I told you so_ that she had kept from her lips when I asked her to drive me home early this morning.

"So, just give her some space. Maybe after the break, she'll want to talk to you."

"I can't wait that long. I can't risk losing her, Bex."

There was a small pause, his words weighing heavily on both Bex and myself. Finally, Bex sighed and gave her head a brief shake.

"You already have, Zach."

Her words tore through me, so I could only imagine what they'd done to Zach just then.

"If you see her," he started, his voice cracking, "tell her I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said those things. I shouldn't have even let Tina into my room. I understand how serious it all is, but there is _no one_ else for me. Cammie is it. She's the only girl I've ever fallen for, and I'd really be worthless if I let her walk away without a fight. So…so, just tell her to talk to me. I want to make this right." His voice was hoarse, and it worried me. I'd never heard him so distraught before.

"I'll tell her, but I really think you should just leave her alone," Bex said.

"I can't. I'll never be able to."

Bex sighed. "At least for break. Just think about what _she_ wants for a change. If she wanted to talk to you and make things right, wouldn't she be doing that right now?"

"Whatever she wants. If she wants silence, fine. I'll give her that." He practically forced the words out. "But I'm here to stay, Bex. You tell her that, too."

"I'll tell her," she said before closing the door. She walked around the corner, but stopped when she saw me on the floor, my cheeks stained with silent tears. "Well, that went well."

I shook my head and let the tears fall freely. "I should have spoken to him. He sounded so upset."

Bex plopped down next to me and wrapped a comforting arm around my shoulders. "I know this is your first real relationship, Cam, but take it from someone who knows…it's better to let him suffer a little."

"I don't want him to suffer."

"Don't you? Just a little?"

I laughed, but it came out more like a hiccup. "I just want to put the pieces back together. I feel…" I started, but I had no clue how I felt. A sob ripped through my chest and I cried into Bex's shoulder.

"It'll be okay," she said softly. "Just go away for break. Take some time to think about everything that happened. If you want him back, then it sounds like he's willing."

"What if I wait too long?" I whispered my biggest fear.

"I don't know, Cam," Bex admitted. "If he's not waiting for you when the time comes, then maybe that means he was never worth it…"

We spent the rest of the morning huddled together in the dim light of the sunrise peeking through the blinds, me crying until my eyes were dry and her trying to comfort me with false promises that I was going to be okay.

But the truth was, I wasn't sure if I was ever going to be okay again.

* * *

 **Aw no, Cammie rejected him...well, Bex rejected him for her, but still. So what's going to happen to Zach now? Cammie made him a better person, and he said so himself, she was the only reason he cared about his best interest, and now she's gone. Do y'all think he's going to start drowning himself in booze and women again, just to cover up the pain of potentially losing Cammie? Or is he going to try to prove himself to be the kind of guy Cammie claims she wants? We will see next time!**

 **Oh, we'll also get to meet someone who might be stirring up trouble for Zammie! Because drama is necessary.**

 **Thanks y'all for the amazing love and support (: Y'all are the best! Stay awesome!**

 _"I knew she was right. Of course she was right. Bex was always right. She knew me better than I knew myself. But then again, isn't that a best friend's job?"_ **Ally Carter, United We Spy**


	21. Chapter 21

**I have no opening words for y'all...so just enjoy (:**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

The only thing I wanted for Christmas was hundreds of miles away and refusing to talk to me. Despite telling Bex that I would remain silent if that was what Cammie wanted, I was having a terrible time with it. I'd texted her constantly the first couple of days, and I'd called her more times than I even wanted to admit. She hadn't responded. I had to face facts that she actually wanted my silence.

I still texted her when I couldn't bear to let her think that she was off my mind. But even those, I let dwindle to once a day, and then every other day, and then every third day.

Guilt infected everything. Guilt about how I'd treated Cammie, how I'd talked to her, for not going after her, for not doing enough. Guilt about how I'd treated Sydney, how I'd treated the guys, how selfish I'd been in everything I'd been doing for months…years. I was no better than my crazy mother. That much was becoming a pretty obvious fact. Self-sabotage was the name of the game, and I was the goddamn reigning champion.

Normally, in these situations...well, shit, I'd never been in this kind of situation. But when I got down, I usually overindulged in anything that would make me forget. But everything made me think of her. I didn't want to drink. I didn't want to smoke. I didn't have the energy to think about anyone but her, so there was no way I was going near women. A fucking blizzard had ripped through Virginia, so I couldn't ride my bike. The only thing I still had was my guitar, and her song seemed to be the only one I remembered.

"Are you going to mope around all break?" Sydney asked a few days before Christmas.

I'd apologized to her as soon as she'd gotten back from the ski lodge. She'd brushed it off like it didn't matter and told me it just ranked right up there with my other bizarre behavior.

"I'm not moping."

"You are _so_ moping!"

I just shrugged. I didn't want to argue with her. I started strumming out "Life Raft" for the hundredth time, and Sydney groaned.

"Stop playing that song. Can't you just…I don't know…find someone else?"

My eyes shot daggers at her.

"All right, all right. Bad idea."

"She just needs time."

"Has she spoken to you _at all_ since she left?"

I couldn't think about that. I couldn't consider that she had moved on. My life was hanging on the edge of disaster with those thoughts constantly swirling through my brain. I didn't need the push that would send me into a spiral of chaos.

"Look, cuz," she said, sinking into the seat next to me, "I know this is hard on you, but you need to do something else, something to get your mind off of her."

"Like what? Everything that I've ever done in the past just conjures up more memories."

"I don't know. Just do something productive. Go work out or go for a run or go work for Joe again. Sitting here and thinking about her all day is only going to make you depressed. You were never exactly chipper, but this…this isn't you."

I ran a hand back through my hair and tried to listen to reason. Sydney was right. Cammie was on my mind 24/7 and if I didn't get myself together, her walking out of my life was going to destroy me.

"All right then."

Sydney and I drove to _Solomon's,_ and I smiled at the old familiar feeling at seeing the building. A long line of people greeted us when we entered. The hostesses recognized Sydney, and they hugged and started talking rapidly. I wandered back to the kitchen and found my aunt and uncle where I'd always found them before. Joe was busy making pizza dough from scratch while young servers busied themselves around him. Abby was sitting at a cash register, ringing out customers and making change. It felt…homey.

"Zach!" Abby said with a big smile on her face. "How wonderful to see you, honey."

"Hey, Aunt Abby, Uncle Joe."

"Sydney get you out of the house?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, she did."

"Well, what are you waiting for?"

A white apron was launched at my head, and I caught it easily with one hand, laughing as it almost hit my face. It felt good to have something to laugh about.

"We have a lot of work to do."

* * *

The pizza place closed at midnight. I stayed after to wipe down tables and refill parmesan and red pepper flake containers. The steady motion of running the restaurant had kept my mind occupied and had given me a blissful reprieve from my thoughts. When I finished around one in the morning, I closed up shop. Instead of going straight home, I turned and walked out onto the beach.

I'd been avoiding the beach at all costs. It had once been my place of solitude—just me and the crashing waves, the sand between my toes, the salty air. Peaceful, serene, entrancing. But I'd brought Cammie here, I'd shared my favorite place in the world with her, and now, it wasn't mine. It was ours.

I was exhausted from working hard all day, and I wanted to feel a piece of her when I couldn't be anywhere near her. The only time we'd ever been closer was when I told her about my parents. We'd connected on such a strong emotional level then, just like the morning on the beach. And since I was missing her like crazy, I decided going to our spot would be a small consolation.

I tramped out through the snow, letting the dry, cold air seep into my lungs. I finally reached a point where the ocean had washed away the snow, giving way to hard-packed sand. I stood there in icy silence, just watching the waves come in and then flow back out.

Working had never held any real interest to me. I had money, lots of money, from what had happened with my parents. And the band made good enough money to top that. But I suddenly wanted a job. I wanted to feel like I was doing something worthwhile. A secret part of me wanted to prove Cammie wrong. I'd never been motivated or ambitious. I'd been treading water in my life for a long time. Maybe it was time to change that after all.

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

Going through the motions at home was surprisingly easy. My family had never been particularly emotional, so I could hide my feelings behind an expressionless mask. I'd never told my parents that I was dating anyone, so they had no reason to suspect my sullen attitude was anything out of the ordinary. Only Dillon seemed to notice a shift in my moods, but he kept his thoughts to himself, just like my family always did.

I was upstairs, getting ready for my father's annual Christmas party, when Dillon appeared in the bathroom mirror behind me.

"Are you ready to go?"

Sometimes, I swore that Dillon and I could have been twins. He wasn't much taller than me, and we had the same natural blonde hair and matching dark blue eyes. He'd graduated from Gallagher the year before I'd attended, and he was now working in business in big corporate cities, like our father.

I swished the mascara across my lashes one more time, and then I put the tube away. "Sure."

"Have you been okay?" he asked, crossing his arms over the chest of his designer tuxedo.

"Fine."

"Cammie, I know you're not _fine_."

I ran my hands down the front of the black lace dress my mother had picked out for me when we'd gone shopping. It had an open V-cut with thick straps falling over my shoulders, a tiny empire waist, and an A-line skirt that fell to my knees. Zach's dog tags had been replaced with a simple gold chain with a little bow pendant. My parents had gotten it from Tiffany's for me for Christmas. It was simple yet extravagant.

I hated taking off Zach's dog tags almost as much as I hated wearing them. They were my reminder as much as his text messages were. I desperately wanted to pick up the phone and make it all right, but something had kept me from doing it. I missed him terribly, and honestly, I couldn't believe some of the things we'd said to each other, but I wanted to trust Bex's advice. I _did_ need time away from him to get my head on straight again. To discover who I am and what I want out of life without Zach so I can decide if it's worth throwing away the life I had with him.

"Are you daydreaming?" Dillon asked, waving a hand in front of my face.

"No," I said immediately. "What were you saying?"

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you are lovesick."

The color drained out of my face, and I was thankful for the blush I'd just applied to my cheeks. "I'm just not feeling well." I took a step around him to grab my black heels and I slipped them on.

"Cammie," Dillon said softly, following me into the room. "Did something happen at school? Is that why you came home early?"

Oh, how I wanted to confide in my brother, but I knew exactly what he would think about Zach. Dillon would assume what I'd assumed at first. But there was so much more to Zach than what met the eye. I'd said that he hadn't changed, that he wasn't ambitious…and more terrible things, but I'd realized that none of them were true. His drive and ambition just didn't fit the mold I'd been carefully cut from. That didn't mean they didn't exist.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"I'm your brother. You can trust me."

I sighed and relented. "I was dating someone. We got into a big fight when school ended. I'm just trying not to think about it."

"Well, as your brother, I can say that no guy is ever going to be good enough for you."

I cringed at his words.

"And if you're already fighting, then it's probably only going to get worse. But if you decide to see this guy, tell him your older brother will beat his ass if he hurts you again," Dillon said.

The thought of Dillon trying to beat up Zach was highly amusing, considering Dillon had always been an _all talk, no action_ kind of guy. I cracked a smile for the first time in what felt like forever.

"That's better. Come on, we have to get to the hotel. You'll get to meet DeeDee."

In the limousine, my parents chatted aimlessly on the way to the party, and Dillon had his arm around his new girlfriend, DeeDee. I gazed out the back window and prayed for the night to end quickly. We pulled up in front of the hotel and were escorted to the ballroom.

My mother took me aside at the entrance. "Cammie, please do try to smile while you're here tonight," she said with a wary look in her eye. "I've noticed that you seem sullen, but maybe the festivities will do you some good."

I managed a polite smile and nodded. "Of course."

"Also," she said, gesturing for me to follow her, "we have invited a delightful young man who works for your father."

I groaned. "Please, don't do this."

"Just meet him," she insisted. "His name is Preston. His parents are from the area. He graduated from Harvard three years ago, and he is already making his way seamlessly up the company."

 _Twenty-five_. My mother was pitching me to a guy who was six years my senior and listing off his good qualities, like he was antique furniture being auctioned off to the highest bidder.

"I'm not interested."

My mother gave me a stern look. "It's good and well that you've been focused on your schoolwork, but it doesn't hurt to look around. You never know. You might like him."

 _Zach. I liked Zach._ No do-gooder Harvard grad from high-society was going to compare to Zach. I almost couldn't believe those thoughts had just crossed my mind. _Hadn't I thought the same as my mother only four months earlier?_

"Preston!" my mother said, fluttering her fingers.

 _Oh, God, she had just been walking me right to him._

"Rachel, so good to see you," Preston said. His eyes swept past my mother and landed on me. "And you must be Cammie. I'm Preston Winters."

I handed him my hand to shake, but he brought it to his lips. His blue eyes stared straight through me. I managed not to squirm uncomfortably, but I quickly retrieved my hand.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

I got my first real glance at Preston, and he was everything I'd expected him to be—tall, blonde, blue-eyed with a suit to rival my brother's and a smile that could charm a snake. The only thing out of the ordinary about him was that he was slightly lanky, but he definitely had _some_ muscle to him, even if it was just barely.

My mother smiled brightly at our introduction and then went back to find my father in the crowd. I avoided Preston's curious glances and scurried after her. I spent the remainder of the evening tucked into a corner of the room, wasting time on my cell phone. A text pinged on the screen from Zach, and my heart raced.

 _Merry Christmas, Gallagher Girl. Hope you get everything you want. Unless you manage to get a ticket into Virginia, I'm afraid I'll be without the only thing I want. Stay warm, and come back soon. I miss you._

Tears swam in my eyes. _Damn him!_ How was he able to bring so much emotion out of me from a simple text? I felt positively dreadful. There was no other way to put it. I missed him, and I wanted to make things right.

I'd decided that I was going to call him at the same moment Preston had materialized out of thin air. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Oh!" I blinked away the surprise, and then tried to hide the tears that were still forming. "Sorry. I'm fine."

"Do you want to take a stroll around the hotel?"

"Did my mother send you?" I asked before I could stop myself.

Preston looked taken aback, and I wasn't sure if it was an act or not.

"No, of course not. I just saw that you looked sad and wanted to get you out of here in case other people noticed."

"So…this is about appearances?" _God, my stupid mouth._

"Have I done something to offend you?" Preston asked plainly. "You looked like you needed an escape. I can provide one."

"Oh. Sure," I said softly, slightly embarrassed by my outbursts.

Preston walked me to the nearest door, and we started wandering leisurely around the hotel. He didn't say much, which was a relief. The silence was better anyway.

"Want to see something?" he asked.

"Um…sure."

He pushed open a door and led me into an empty ballroom. It was dark, the only light coming in from the panel of windows along the far wall. Preston shrugged out of his tuxedo jacket and walked me out to the balcony overlooking the city.

"Here," he said, slipping his jacket over my slim shoulders.

I felt a touch of guilt for taking it, but I was glad I had it.

"God, it's freezing."

"Yeah," he admitted. "It looks better in the summer. You'd like it."

I shrugged. How did he know what I liked? "So, how do you like working for the company?"

"It suits me. How are you enjoying Gallagher?"

I turned my face back out toward the city. "It's nice."

"Will you be in town much longer?" he pried.

"Through the rest of break. I don't have school again until the second week of January." That meant I would be away from Zach for a couple more weeks. _Could I wait that long?_

"Do you have plans for New Year's?"

 _New Year's. Oh my god! Why didn't I think of that before?_ My whole face lit up. Zach would be in New York for New Year's. He still had to be opening for The Drift. I could go there. I could actually see him and make things right in person!

Realizing I hadn't responded to Preston, I said, "I'm going to be in New York City with one of my friends."

He looked disappointed but managed to cover it up. "What about after that? I'm leaving on vacation with my family to Paris for a week, but I get back on New Year's Eve. I'd love to take you out."

 _Oh…_

 _Oh!_

"Um…I really appreciate the offer, but I'm not sure what I'll be doing."

"Well, just think about it. I'd like to see you again," he said turning me to face him.

He looked completely one-hundred percent sincere. I guessed I'd somehow charmed him in our short time together, or it was the parental influence behind the whole exchange. He was rather handsome. Before Zach, I would have totally been into this. But now, all I saw was a life I didn't want to fit into because it was one without Zach.

Preston's eyes dropped down to my lips, and I saw his intention a split second before he leaned down to kiss me. I turned my face at the last second, and he chastely kissed me on the cheek. He cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed.

"Perhaps we should get you back inside. You're shaking."

"I think that's a good idea," I whispered.

I was certainly shaking, but not from the cold. It was from what had almost happened.

Zach and I were on a break.

We needed space.

We needed time.

We weren't broken up.

* * *

 **Zach just kills me. He's so precious, it hurts my heart to see him hurting...I'm still going to write it though ;P**

 **And Dillon and DeeDee are together...HAHAHAHA! Don't ask me why I wrote it that way, I don't know why, I just did. Lol. It's not important anyway.**

 **Preston tried to put the moves on Cammie ;) But she rejected him...because she's missing Zach and she, too, is hurting. Ugh, the feels. And his text message would've _broken_ me if I were her.**

 **Someone asked if Cammie and Zach were related because Abby is Zach's aunt, and in the books she's Cammie's...and I knew that it was going to be confusing but simply put...no, they're not related. Rachel is Cammie's mom, so I couldn't have her be with Joe like she is in the books, so I decided that Abby was the next best thing (let's not forget that she _did_ kiss him first ;P). But no, Abby and Rachel are not sisters in this FF, and therefore, Cammie and Zach are not related and their relationship is totally appropriate (although, did anyone ever watch _Life With Derek_ and totally ship Derek and Casey, or was that just me?).**

 **With n** **ext chapter comes more drama (but come on, when is there not any drama with this story?). I know I say that every chapter, but this breakup-slash-needing-space thing Cammie's got going on is like a bruise...it has to get worse before it can get better.**

 **Thanks so much for the reviews y'all! Stay awesome (:**

 _"I had to_ see _you_ … _I_ _had to know that you were okay. I had to see you and touch you and…know."_ **Zachary Goode, Only the Good Spy Young**


	22. Chapter 22

**Ahhh it's been over a week since I last updated, I'm so sorry y'all! The holidays season is always crazy busy, so I seriously apologize for my absence):**

 **WARNING: Emotions (and mascara) will be tested.**

 **Enjoy (:**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

"Not a drop to drink?" Grant asked me, holding the bottle of tequila out in front of me. "I bet we could get someone over there to do body shots."

"Not interested," I said.

I leaned back against the bar and surveyed the crowd hovering backstage at The Drift's New Year's show. We were low profile compared to them, and while girls still gravitated toward us, most of the attention was on the other band—mostly Donovan to be honest.

I'd driven into the city a few days early to meet with Max. He'd hooked me up with Donovan and we got along so well that he'd ended up inviting me to some exclusive party last night. I'd had a few drinks there but nothing to throw me over the edge. I wasn't looking to do that tonight before the show—not after what happened before our last show with The Drift. Not after what had happened with Cammie.

I still hadn't heard from her since she left the ski lodge. I hadn't messaged her since Christmas, and I was going to try to keep that up until she got back to school. I wasn't sure I'd be able to stop myself from rushing over to her place as soon as she was supposed to be home.

"Bro, when are you going to stop this shit? I've only been back around you for a fucking week, and already, I'm tired of you sober," Grant complained.

"I just don't feel like drinking tonight. You drink enough for the both of us anyway."

"Is this still about that chick?"

"I don't want to talk about it," I said quickly. My standard answer when it came to her.

"Good. Don't talk about it. Just fucking get over it."

"I'm not just getting over her either, so just drop it." My voice lowered dangerously.

Grant knew this was a bad topic, yet he wouldn't let it go. One day, he was seriously going to get his ass handed to him.

"I know what you should do."

"What's that?"

" _That_ ," he said, pointing out a banging brunette who had been eye-fucking me all night.

"No."

"Fuck, man, look at that rack! She's got it on full display for you. And that ass. I know you're an ass man, bro. When she leans over, I can straight-up see ass cheeks. That chick wants you. Why the fuck would you stay sober and mope around about your ex-girlfriend when that ass is begging you to take it."

I clenched my fists at my sides. I would not blow up on my brother. I would not throw my fist in his face. "She's not my ex-girlfriend," I said as calmly as I could.

"She walked out on you. Sounds like a free-for-all to me. Just get over it."

"Are you over Sydney?" I asked just to shut him up.

Grant glared at me. "Don't even bring that shit up. Aaron's on my fucking shitlist."

"You weren't even together. I'll get over Cammie as soon as you're over Sydney, all right?"

"Only one difference—I'm fucking other chicks, and you aren't'."

I shrugged. I wasn't Grant, and this wasn't Sydney. This was Cammie. I only had about two weeks left before I would see her, and I wasn't going to fuck up between now and then.

Max walked up to us with a big smile and clapped his hands together. "You guys ready for the biggest performance you've ever experienced?"

"Fuck yeah!" Grant cried.

"Zach?" Max asked.

"'Course I'm ready."

"Max, bro, you need to convince Zach to get over his ex. He won't listen to me anymore."

I glared at Grant and crossed my arms over my chest. I wasn't going to talk about this shit with Max.

"Ah, relationship trouble? This about the girl who walked in at the ski lodge?"

I ground me teeth and nodded.

"Not the first time I've seen that happen unfortunately. That's just the life, the way it is. Girls don't stick around long in this environment."

"See, bro?" Grant said, slapping my arm. "Go fuck that girl."

Max glanced over in the direction where Grant was pointing. "Ah, Jaci. I bet you'd like her, Zach. She floats around with the band."

 _Groupie. Fucking groupie slut._ That was all I could think. Suddenly, I was repulsed by the thought instead of encouraged like I always had been.

"That's the kind of girl you should be hanging around with anyway. No real attachments. She understands the life, and when you guys become famous, she won't make a scene," Max said with a laugh.

 _Holy shit, he's actually serious._

"This is the shit I've been telling him," Grant agreed as if what Max had said made prefect fucking sense.

"I'll introduce you after the show. Come to think of it, you'd probably like her friend Jennifer, too. In the meantime, you guys are up." Max gestured to a side door where Jonas and Aaron were already standing, waiting to go onstage.

I could tell they were a bit nervous by the look on Jonas's face and the habitual way Aaron flipped his drumstick.

I didn't even have time to tell Max I had no interest in Jaci or Jennifer before we were ushered to the side of the stage. Someone announced us, and the crowd erupted into applause as we walked out. To my credit, I kept my emotions in check, but this was, without a doubt, the biggest venue we'd ever played. The arena was teeming with people on their feet, screaming our name.

Once I was onstage, there was nothing else in the world. This was where I belonged, where I'd always wanted to be. I grasped the microphone in my hand and cried, "Happy New Year, New York City!"

The screams were deafening even without earpieces for the show.

"We're BlackThorne, coming to you from Roseville, Virginia. While you might not know us yet, I'm sure you'll be screaming our name all night long."

I launched into "Hemorrhage" at Aaron's lead, and I lost myself in the performance. Feeding off of the crowd's energy, we played phenomenally.

Then we hit "Life Raft." I'd insisted that we keep it on the set list. It tethered me to Cammie, and even though I knew I was emotionally unstable, I'd wanted to sing it for her. I'd wanted to imagine her in the crowd and remind her of what she meant to me.

Except now that I was here, it was the last song I wanted to sing. The truth was, Cammie wasn't here. She couldn't hear me sing to her. She wouldn't get to listen to me remind her of how she had saved me.

Pain pierced my heart as Grant picked at the melody I'd been strumming all winter break.

"This next song is our latest." I looked out across the thousands of people screaming for us, waiting expectantly. My breath caught in my throat, and then I envisioned Cammie out there, listening. It made it easier to say, "This one is for every time you've ever fallen in love. We call it 'Life Raft'.'"

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

I gasped.

Straight-up gasped.

If everyone else around me wasn't screaming at the top of their lungs, then someone other than Bex might have noticed my shock. _Did Zach Goode just confess his love for me onstage in front of thousands of people?_

I reached out and grabbed Bex's arm to steady myself. I couldn't breathe. This was the most unreal moment of my life. I'd come here to make amends, and he'd gone and done _that_. Whatever I had been planning to say was sure to pale in comparison.

 _Love._

 _Well…shit._ That was all I had. He'd knocked me down to four-letter expletives.

"Are you okay?" Bex asked.

I shook my head. "No. I don't know."

Whatever Bex said next was lost on me as Zach sang our song. Despite the gentle quality of his voice, I could tell he was struggling to get the words out.

 _You're my life raft in an endless ocean._

They ate him. They showed every single emotion that he'd been sending through those text messages over break. He missed me, and he was hurting.

 _You saved me from drowning._

 _You saved me from myself._

And everything about him in that moment showed me how much the words affected him.

The song ended, and without another word, Zach stormed offstage. The other guys stared after him in shock. This clearly had not been part of their plan. Jonas recovered himself enough to grab the mic and thank the crowd for coming out to see them. It cut their show off by at least three songs. They always closed with "Letting You." Something was wrong.

"We need to get backstage," I told Bex frantically.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" she asked as we maneuvered through the crowd quickly.

"I don't know, but it wasn't good. He wrote that song for me."

"He wrote 'Life Raft' for _you_?" she asked in disbelief. "Holy shit! That's their best song."

"Yeah, and he kind of looked like he was going to go off the deep end when he was singing it."

"Well, no shit! What do you think he's going to do?"

"I don't know. Nothing. He was probably just pissed."

"Then why are we running?" Bex asked.

I didn't justify that with an answer. I didn't know what Zach was thinking. He'd never stormed offstage before. He loved his music. But he missed me. I knew he did. That was why we were running to get to him.

We rounded a corner that took us to the backstage entrance where a bunch of girls were standing around. Some were talking to the bouncer, and it looked like they were trying to sweet talk their way backstage. Others were just hanging around, hoping someone would let them inside. Bex confidently elbowed her way past all of them and walked right up to the bouncer. One of the girls gave her a death glare.

"Name?" he asked, giving us a look that said he was thankful not to be talking to the other girl now.

"Bex Baxter and guest."

The man ran his hand down the list and then checked us off. "Good to go, ladies."

"How—"

"Grant," Bex said dismissively.

 _Of course._

We got backstage and saw that not only was it massive, but it was completely packed. I sighed. I didn't know where Zach would be and what state I'd find him in.

"Split up?" Bex suggested.

"Sure."

Not knowing where to start, I just kind of wandered around in search for Zach. I figured he'd be surrounded by people, but there was the possibility that he was off somewhere alone. I was also looking for the other guys, hoping to catch a glimpse of them coming offstage, but I had no such luck.

I was thinking about circling back to the entrance to find Bex when I nearly ran into a guy. He looked like he was in a hurry and _pissed_.

I squeaked and got out of his way. "Sorry."

His gaze fell on me, and his anger disappeared. It was replaced with a curiosity, and then he smiled. "No problem at all. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"No harm, no foul," I said.

"Can I help you with anything?"

"I'm just looking for Zach Goode," I said with a sigh. I always felt like I was looking for him at these kinds of things. They needed to make backstages smaller.

"Oh, Zach? Yeah, sure. I just saw him walk out."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "Where did he go?"

The guy shot me an amused look, and my stomach dropped.

"I think he had a girl with him, so I can only imagine."

No. I wouldn't believe what he was telling me. That just didn't make any sense.

"Um…are you sure? I mean…he looked pretty upset when he got offstage."

"He _was_ pretty upset. I don't know if we've met, but I'm Max Edwards. I manage The Drift. I've been working pretty closely with Zach since Halloween. I have a feeling you're this Cammie who everyone keeps talking about."

I blushed. "Um…yeah."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, Cammie, but this is just how it is. This is the life." He spread his arms wide, indicating all the groupies. "I'm sure he liked you. But why would he wait around? He realized his mistake, and he's reconciling that problem."

My mouth hung open, and for once, I was rendered completely speechless. I couldn't listen to this. I couldn't believe this. This wasn't Zach. This wasn't the man I'd fallen for.

But when we had started talking, he hadn't been in this position. I hadn't been worried about the groupies before, but these girls were professionals.

I opened my mouth to contradict him, but he cut me off. "It's a hard lesson to learn. You seem like a nice girl. If you want my advice, it would be to turn around and get out of here. Find a nice guy who will take care of that pretty face and not break your heart. Zach…he's in a league of his own. He's going places. You're just going to hold him back."

"I don't believe you," I said as strong as I could muster.

"It doesn't matter," Max said with a shrug.

I pushed away my fears. I didn't need all of this clouding my mind. I just…couldn't believe what he was saying. If Zach cared about me, if he loved me, we could make it work.

"Whatever. If you don't know where he is, then I'll keep looking."

"Feel free to keep looking, but he's already gone. He left with Jaci ten minutes ago."

I shook my head and stumbled away from Max. I had to find Zach. He couldn't have left with another woman. He wouldn't do that to me. Sure, we were on a break, but we weren't broken up. I knew that I hadn't responded to his messages, and that things were kind of screwed up, but that didn't mean that they were _over_.

I heard a commotion around the corner, and I slowly made my way toward it in hopes that it'd be Zach. But it was just Donovan fending off a group of girls. I rolled my eyes and looked away.

"Cammie, good to see you," he called out when he saw me. "Everything all right?"

My heart beat in my chest as I looked up at Donovan. I didn't want to ask him what I was about to ask. I couldn't have him confirm it, but I just had to know.

"Have you seen Zach?"

Donovan looked uncomfortable for a minute. "Uh…yeah, I saw him."

"Do you know where he is?" Hope sparked in me.

"Cammie," he started and his face fell a little. He sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry."

And he did look sincerely sorry. _Shit._

My throat constricted and I felt the threat of tears sting the backs of my eyes. This was really happening.

"When I was out with him last night, he told me that you guys broke up," he explained, as if that excused what Zach was doing to me right now.

"We…wait, he _said_ that?"

I'd thought that we were just on a break, but he must have assumed it was an official breakup…that we'd talk about getting back together when I came home. I'd never given him any indication otherwise.

"Yeah, he did." Donovan's hand dropped onto my shoulder, and he looked at me sympathetically. "Just so you know…I think he's crazy." His other hand came up and pushed a loose strand of hair behind my ear. "If I had a girl as beautiful as you, I'd never let you out of my sight, seventeenth-century archiac ideals or not."

I stepped away from his touch, and my back hit the wall. "Thanks for your concern. I'm sure you have hundreds of girls much more beautiful than me throwing themselves at you."

"None as beautiful as you who are turning me down."

"I bet you don't have _any_ doing that."

Donovan shrugged. He knew that I was right. "Why don't you forget about Goode tonight? Stay for my show. Haven't you ever wanted to see a Drift show from the side of the stage? We could hang out after. We'd have a good time."

For some reason, I had a feeling that his definition of a good time wasn't the same as mine. And the only person I wanted to be with was Zach. Even if he was off with someone else tonight, I still wanted him.

"I appreciate the offer but—"

My words were cut off when Donovan bent down and brushed his lips against mine. Fire alarms went off in my mind. This was wrong. This wasn't Zach. Even if Zach was with someone else, I didn't want to kiss someone that he knew. I didn't want to be around people who were associated with him. I needed to get out now.

I pushed against Donovan, breaking our kiss. His blue eyes were fierce.

"I appreciate the offer, but no, I'm not interested," I said, my voice hard.

"You're wasting your time on Zach."

"If I'm wasting my time on a man who loves me, then I'd obviously be wasting my time with someone who doesn't."

And with that, I shoved past him, storming back through the backstage area, and out into the arena. I texted Bex to let her know that I was getting a cab back to the airport. She seemed frantic, but there was nothing else she could do at this point. I just wanted to be back in Nebraska.

* * *

The clock chimed midnight soon after the plane landed. I waited anxiously for a text message from Zach, like I'd gotten over Christmas, but it never came. I hadn't wanted to believe he was with someone else, but somehow, his silence convinced me more than anything else ever could. When I got home, I crawled into bed, determined to forget all about Zach Goode.

* * *

 **Guys...Zach confessed his love for Cammie in front of thousands of people! That's HUGE coming from the self proclaimed manwhore-playboy-adrenaline-junkie-rocker who never cared about anyone including himself! Awwwww, Zammie (:**

 **So wait...why did he leave with another girl? Are Zammie (is Zammie...? what's the proper way to say that?) officially broken up, or are they just on a break, like Cammie had originally thought? We'll get _some_ answers as to what the heck is going on next chapter, but we'll have to wait to see what the future may hold for Zammie!**

 **Huge thanks to everyone who leaves those awesome reviews! I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't for you :D And yes, continue to kick my butt if I take forever to update again! Stay awesome!**

 _"I thought the morning would bring change. But I should have known that it doesn't take that long for change to happen—it takes a second. A moment. In a single breath, reality as you know it can simply fall away."_ **Ally Carter, United We Spy**

 **P.S. If you want a hint as to what the heck is going on with Zach and why he took off with Jaci, here you go: In this FF story, we've met an influential character from the books whose looks were very deceiving ;)**


	23. Chapter 23

**I'm so sorry that it's taken me so long to update! I've been using all of my free time studying for my final exams (which are finally over, and now I'm just praying that I did well enough to pass lol), and I probably should've warned y'all that I was going to be MIA for a few weeks...but I'm back now, so all is good!**

 **So, last chapter, Zach dedicated "Life Raft" to everyone who's ever been in love at BlackThorne's New Year's Eve show, and Cammie was in the audience and heard his confession (awwww). But when she went to find him backstage, she ran into Max and Donovan, and they both informed her that Zach had left with Jaci (not so awwww).**

 **Needless to say, none of y'all were happy about that last part lol. But t** **his chapter is purely from Zach's POV, and you'll get some answers as to what went down on New Year's Eve!**

 **Okay, enough talking. I've kept you waiting long enough!**

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

I typed out ten messages to Cammie but deleted them all.

She didn't want to hear from me on New Year's. She hadn't wanted to hear from me on Christmas. She hadn't wanted to hear from me every day before that. I should just give up and let her move on with her life, but I couldn't.

I'd been onstage, singing the song I'd written for her, when it just hit me how fucked-up all of this was. I was in love with her. I'd said as much onstage, but the lyrics had just driven it home. I was in love with Cammie Morgan, and she wanted nothing to do with me.

After I'd finished the song, I'd stormed offstage, unable to continue. I was over it. I'd just wanted to be alone.

But no, even then, I couldn't get what I'd wanted. Max had stopped me at the exit, wondering what the hell I was doing. We weren't signed with Pacific, and I was ruining my chances of ever getting picked up with them.

That was fine with me. If we got picked up, who knew when I'd get to see Cammie anyway? Didn't seem like a fair trade to me.

Max obviously hadn't seen it that way. He couldn't understand how I felt about Cammie. He never would. He talked about girls the way I had before Cammie. I might be a total fucking asshole, but Cammie came first. If by some miracle I could salvage this with her, then I was going to do everything I could to prove it.

I'd had it out with Max backstage, and then I'd gotten into my truck and driven straight home. The drive had taken forever since everyone and their mother was out in New York City for New Year's, but I hadn't cared. I'd just needed to get out of there. I'd needed to think and I couldn't do it surrounded by thousands of people.

Being all alone, holed up in my house didn't seem to help much either. I just wanted to get a New Year's kiss I'd remember. But if Cammie didn't want me around, I wasn't sure how much more of my antics would change her mind. If it came down to that, I'd have to resign myself to move on.

* * *

Max hadn't been the only one pissed that I'd walked out of the show. The guys had returned from the city early afternoon on New Year's Day, and they had promptly gone about ignoring my existence every time I tried to talk to them. I'd wanted to be alone to think, and now, they were giving me all the space I needed.

I wandered into the garage, and everyone seemed to have calmed down by the time regular band rehearsal was supposed to start. Aaron had his laptop open, not ignoring me, but not paying me much attention. Jonas looked up when I walked in, but Grant didn't even spare me a glance. He must really be pissed.

I took a seat next to Aaron. I decided to take a different approach. "Sorry about last night."

"What the fuck happened?" Grant asked. He looked like he'd doped up on steroids this morning, and he was even more of a loose cannon. "You just fucking left us out there. We had three more songs to go, and you ditched us! What the fucking fuck kind of band member ditches his band onstage with no motherfucking warning?"

"I know. I should have told you guys."

"You fucking think? You humiliated us out there!"

"I didn't humiliate you," I argued. "We played the majority of our set. No one even knew the difference."

"Max knew the difference," Jonas cut in. "He was pretty pissed."

"Fuck Max," I said with a shake of my head. "I'm so tired of these label people thinking they can mold us into these perfect shapes. They can't define us by dangling a contract in front of our eyes."

Grant cursed under his breath, but Jonas was the one who spoke up. "Max isn't trying to fit us into a certain mold. He's been pretty lenient as far as I'm concerned, and I like him. Now, after that performance and your argument, we might not get signed."

"Good. I don't want to get signed," I said without thinking.

The silence in the room was deafening, and I could feel everyone's eyes on me. All the guys stared at me with a range of shocked expressions. I'd never voiced that thought out loud to anyone before. I hadn't even really thought about it much until recently. After the Frank Boseley incident, I'd been feeling more and more constrained by the pressure of fitting into a traditional record mold. Then, with the added fear of losing Cammie, it had only amped up that feeling.

"You what?" Jonas asked.

"I don't want to get signed."

"Since when?"

"This whole experience is ruining me for wanting to sign with anyone."

"Is this about Cammie?" Jonas asked, just laying it out there.

"Oh, come on, man! Just forget about that girl," Grant complained.

"I'm not forgetting about her!" I yelled back at Grant. "Can we just drop the subject?"

"You just dropped a bomb on us, and you want us to just walk away from that?" Jonas asked in disbelief.

"Guys," Aaron said, speaking up, "you might want to look at this."

"At what?" I asked. I leaned over his computer and tried to make out what I was looking at. It just looked like a spreadsheet with random words and numbers on it.

"Well, we sold about ten-thousand more copies of our 'Life Raft' demo than we've sold of every other song combined."

"What? Since when?"

"Since…today," Aaron said.

I looked at him, stunned. "How is that possible?"

"I can only assume it's because of the show last night."

My mind ran away with me. _Ten-thousand more copies._ Of course it had to be that fucking song. I didn't ever want to sing that song again at this point, but it was the one that over _ten-thousand_ people had purchased within twenty-four hours.

 _I'm fucking screwed._

* * *

Cammie had been back from break for three days, and I hadn't gone over there and busted down the door, demanding to speak to her. I thought that was pretty good.

It helped that I'd gotten a gig at a recording studio to pass the time during the day. The money wasn't that great, but I felt better being in the studio, working and learning, than I did sitting around obsessing about Cammie. Not to mention, I didn't have to think about whatever the fuck we were going to do with the band. We hadn't heard from Max since New Year's Eve, and I wasn't all that surprised. At least I still kept in touch with Donovan. The Drift would be in Richmond this afternoon for some talk-show appearance, and we were set to chill afterward. It meant another way to keep my mind off of Cammie.

Though, I knew it was only a matter of time before I made my way over there to try to convince her that she had made a terrible mistake. Until my resolve broke, I was going to try to give her the space she had requested. I didn't know what I'd do if she turned me down.

I left the studio early and drove home to shower before going into the city. The guys were playing video games in the living room, and it all felt so normal. It was a nice change of pace from how we'd all been acting since New Year's.

Jonas nodded at me when I walked in the door. "How was work?"

I shrugged. "I bet we could get some free studio time next week."

"Nice."

"What are you up to tonight? I'm meeting up with Donovan in the city for a few drinks. You interested?"

Jonas shifted his gaze and fidgeted in his seat. I looked over at Aaron, and he also seemed uncomfortable. Even Grant wouldn't meet my eyes.

"Okay…what's going on?"

"We already have plans," Jonas said.

"Doing what?"

"We're, uh…going over to Cammie's place tonight—"

"What?" I bellowed, completely blowing up. "You're going over there? I haven't even been over there!"

Jonas sighed and nodded. "I'm sort of seeing her roommate, Liz, and Grant is seeing Bex. Aaron was planning to hang out with Macey."

I stared at Aaron, waiting for him to respond. "What about Sydney?"

"Sydney wants what she wants when she wants it. Right now, she's back in Knoxville, probably fucking half the university." He narrowed his eyes as if daring me to argue when I knew he was right.

"Whatever. So…you're all just going over to hang out at Cammie's house, and I'm just here?"

"Bro, we want you there," Aaron said.

"But she doesn't," I finished for him.

Aaron shrugged in apology.

Cammie didn't want me there. She hadn't asked for me. _Fuck, things were really over._

"All right," I said, slowly backing away. "I'll just go visit Donovan in the city. You guys have a good time."

The guys looked at me with varying levels of sympathetic faces. They knew I'd been fucked-up about Cammie. They knew I'd been beating myself up about it. But there was nothing to be done.

I'd just go see her later this week. I'd let her tell me to my face that it was over, and then I'd find a bottle and drown myself in it.

* * *

I met Donovan in the penthouse suite he was staying in. he was shirtless with a bottle of whiskey out in front of him and his guitar in his lap. The rest of the band was there as well with nearly naked girls hanging all over them. Donovan had two girls in nothing more than sheer lingerie sitting at his feet, staring up at him with idol worship.

"Goode!" Donovan said, waving me over. "Just in time!"

"For what?"

"The party!"

It appeared that the party was already well underway, but Donovan might be on something a little harder than that whiskey sitting in front of him.

"Didn't realize I'd be walking in on a…pajama party," I said.

"Guess the invite got mixed up. Girls, maybe you can help Goode out of his shirt?"

The girls got up automatically. There was no hesitation. They were just going to take my clothes off because Donovan had told them to.

"Uh…no, I got it."

I slipped out of my shirt, and the girls looked disappointed, like they really had wanted to do it for me.

I dropped into the seat next to Donovan. "Quite a place you have here."

"Yeah. Max wanted the best."

"Nice."

I crossed my arms and looked at all the girls. I knew that there were girls like this at the shows, and damn, it was pretty easy to come by girls who wanted to sleep with me. So I was sure it was easier to get girls for The Drift, who were legit rock stars, but still, it wasn't even dinner yet, and there were at least thirty hot as shit girls in lingerie in his hotel room.

"Where do the girls come from?"

Donovan was playing a new tune on his guitar, and he stopped at my question. "Oh, Max finds them. Most are regulars. I mean, you know Jaci," Donovan said with a wink as he pointed at a girl across the room, who was wearing nothing but a black lace thong.

"She looks familiar," I said. I remembered Grant had wanted to get with her, and Max had tried to push her on me, but that was it.

"Well, you fucked her on New Year's. I'd hope she looked familiar."

Time froze. I reacted without another thought. "What? I didn't fuck anyone on New Year's!"

Donovan gave me a knowing look. "Oh, come on. Were you that fucked-up? You left with her right after you got offstage. Max saw you leave."

Anger started to settle into the pit of my stomach. "I went home after the show. Straight home. I didn't have anyone with me."

I didn't know why I was trying to defend this to Donovan. He probably thought it was good that I'd slept with one of the groupies after the show. That was commonplace after all.

"All right, man. Whatever you want me to believe. I won't fault you for fucking a groupie. I got some good action with that Cammie girl you were hanging out with at the lodge."

All semblance of control that I'd had earlier evaporated. "What the hell are you talking about?" I asked, rising to my feet. "You slept with Cammie? I'll fucking kill you."

Donovan raised his eyebrows at my reaction, but he didn't actually look that surprised. He looked smug. "Big reaction for the status of one groupie."

"Cammie is _not_ a groupie. She's my girlfriend," I growled, fighting for control.

"She didn't _seem_ like anyone's girlfriend when she was backstage at the New Year's Eve show," he said, standing up to face me. "If you get what I mean…"

I didn't think. I just acted. I lunged for Donovan, catching him off guard and connecting my fist with his face. It snapped his head backward, and he stumbled into the chair. But I wasn't finished. All the pent-up anger from the weeks without Cammie came flooding into me in an overwhelming quantity. I couldn't even control it all. He had touched her, and I would fucking destroy him, just like I'd said the first time he'd tried something.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Donovan yelled.

All that did was bring more attention on us, but I was too far into this to care.

I'd lost the element of surprise, and Donovan was already back up on his feet. I reached for him again, but he blocked my punch. I pivoted and got a shot to his kidney that caused him to double over. I sent my fist into his face again. He fell flat on his back in the hotel room.

The rest of the band showed up at that moment and dragged me away from Donovan. I could see his face was bloody, but I hadn't broken anything. My chest was heaving, and all I could think about was the bloodlust. He couldn't touch her. I'd fucking murder him.

"Get him out of here!" Donovan cried as girls flocked to his side to check on him.

"I told you that I'd destroy you if you touched her, you motherfucker."

"You're fucking insane. She's just some girl. If you ever get signed—and that's a big _fucking_ if at this point—you're going to see this for what it really is. You're going to leave her, or she's going to get tired of you cheating on her. You'll look back on this moment and know I was fucking right."

"That just shows how different you and I really are, Donovan. Because I love Cammie. I respect her. I'd give her the world, the moon, the stars, the whole fucking universe. When I get signed, and I really do mean _when_ ," I growled, shaking off the guys who were holding me, "I'm coming for your ass, just to prove you wrong."

* * *

 **Sometimes, Zach is too perfect. He fought for Cammie's honor! Ugh, love it.**

 **So, I gave a hint last chapter about why Zach would have _supposedly_ run of with Jaci after confessing his love for Cammie. "** **In this FF story, we've met an influential character from the books whose looks were very deceiving ;)" If you remember from the books, Max Edwards was the CIA agent who was also a member of the Circle (and don't quote me on it, because I'd need to go back and check to make sure, but he had Cammie in captivity at some point and she woke up sooner than she was supposed to and because of that, she was caught up in some Circle attack, or something like that). Anyway, so yeah, he was perfect for this role because he tried to breakup Zammie with that lie about Zach and Jaci hooking up on New Year's Eve.**

 **There's only ONE MORE CHAPTER LEFT! Y'all know what that means ;) I can't believe it's almost over...I really hope y'all have enjoyed this story so far, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts when it's all said and done!**

 **Again, sorry for the delay...**

 **I couldn't find a quote that I thought fit with this chapter, so again, here's another random one that I've always loved.**

 _"'As I already informed your superiors, Agent Townsend, if the Circle has any allies here, they'd better pray that you find them before I do.'"_ **Rachel Morgan, Only the Good Spy Young**


	24. Chapter 24

**It's over 6,000 words, but only about 5,000 of them are actual story. No need to worry! Enjoy!**

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

First day of the semester and I already had organic chemistry homework.

It was a bit of a relief to be back on a normal schedule again. The break had seemed like some kind of strange dream, something someone else had gone through and not me. I'd lost my virginity, lost my boyfriend, and been kissed by a rock star.

At least some things always stayed the same—like homework. I had a tough class schedule this semester, and I needed to make sure that I stayed on top of everything. There was an introductory study session later tonight that I couldn't decide if I wanted to go to or not. Would it be better to get involved from the get-go or to try to do everything myself…like normal?

A knock at the door kept me from deciding. My heart rate shot through the roof as I wondered if today would be the day that I'd have to face Zach. I'd decided that I would do it this weekend. I'd let him tell me he's moved on and break my heart this weekend.

Bex came out of her room and jumped when she saw me. "I thought you were going to a study session?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I decided not to."

Macey and Liz appeared a second later. They were equally surprised to find me sitting in the dining room, and they shot questioning looks at Bex.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We're having some people over to watch a movie," Macey said.

"Some people…as in?"

Liz sighed. "I invited Jonas over. We saw a lot of each other over break, and well, I guess we're kind of together."

I just stared at my friends. Jonas…and that probably meant Grant and Aaron and…

I shot out of my seat. "Are you saying Zach is going to be in our house?"

"No!" Macey and Bex shouted at once.

Liz was shaking her head. "We told them not to bring him, but we thought you'd be gone."

"You can't just hide this stuff from me! I don't want to be blindsided that his friends are going to be here in our house!" I started packing up all of my papers and throwing the stuff into my backpack.

The guys started knocking again, and Macey rushed over to answer it.

Bex gave me a pleading look. "Please don't freak out about this."

"Freak out? Why would I freak out? It's every day that my roommates invite over my…whatever. This is stupid," I grumbled. "Fuck Zach Goode."

Bex's eyes softened and she opened her mouth to speak, but our conversation was cut off as Jonas, Aaron, and Grant walked into our apartment. They looked pretty shocked to see me there as well, so the girls must have said I'd be gone. Well, lucky for them, I was leaving.

"Hey, Cammie," Jonas said cordially.

I nodded my head at him and then continued to pack up.

The group moved to the living room, and I stomped into my bedroom to find my boots. When I'd returned, they were all cuddled up together. Bex was sitting on Grant's lap on the couch. Liz had her head on Jonas's shoulder. Macey and Aaron were sitting side-by-side. I wondered how much Macey knew about Aaron and Sydney, but I wasn't going to be petty and bring it up right now.

After grabbing my pea coat off the back of the chair, I put it on and threw my backpack over it.

"Hey, Cammie?" Aaron said.

Our eyes met across the room.

"Yeah?"

Jonas sat up straight. "Aaron, no."

"Shut up, Jonas. No one else is going to talk about it."

I resolutely stood there, wondering what the hell they were talking about.

"So, are you going to talk to Zach?"

"It's not like he wants to talk to me."

"Really?" Aaron asked incredulously. "That's the line of reasoning you're going with?"

"What else am I supposed to think?" I asked, feeling frustration turning to anger. "If Zach wants to talk to me, he knows where to find me."

"Maybe you should remind him. He's been acting like a fucking idiot since you left, and he might have forgotten." Aaron sighed and shook his head. "We've been trying to get signed for years, and now that we're this close, Zach is talking about _quitting_ because he's so fucked-up about your relationship. Maybe think that over, and stop being so selfish."

My mouth dropped open. "Selfish? He cheated on me!"

"Not the way we've heard the story," Jonas piped up. "I think you have a lot of things to talk about."

I glared at them, and then at my friends who sat there silently while their boy-toys blamed me for everything. I shook my head, suddenly too overwhelmed to even try. "Have a good movie night. Don't wait up for me," I sneered before leaving and slamming the door behind me.

Everything that the guys had said was swirling about in my mind. _Zach was thinking about quitting BlackThorne? Why the hell would he do that?_ He loved the band and his brothers and everything about music. It simply couldn't be about me. That made no sense.

 _And the guys had said that he hadn't cheated._ I'd been there on New Year's. Donovan and Max had told me that he'd gone off with someone else, and he'd never messaged me. I'd never messaged him…but still. It seemed likely with Zach's track record. _Did the guys just not know he'd slept with someone on New Year's?_

 _God, there are too many things to think about!_ I didn't want to go rushing over to Zach's house like a dog with my tail between my legs, but the few weeks of us being apart had felt like an eternity, and at this point, there was so much that needed to be said.

Deciding that O-Chem took precedence over my floundering love life, I drove to the library on campus. I found the study group easily, but I stopped myself from joining them at the last minute. Not only did I not want to have to deal with teaching the group instead of actually learning anything myself…but Tina was with them.

Her bleached hair was in a braid over her shoulder, and she was tugging on it as she flirted with some guy from our class. Disgust washed over me. _Did the girl never stop?_

I hated that I kept seeing her…that I would continue to see her. We had organic chemistry together, as well as molecular biology and calc IV. I seriously couldn't escape the conniving bitch.

Backpedaling, I found a secluded table on the same level and pulled out my assignment. I quickly got lost in the equations, and as I was finishing up the assignment, I heard someone clear her throat next to me.

I glanced up and groaned. "What do _you_ want?"

"Hey, Cammie," Tina said, rocking back and forth on her toes. "I thought you might have been at the study session."

"Well, I wasn't. And you're free to go now."

"Mind if I take a seat?" She gestured to the chair in front of me.

"Yes, I do mind," I snapped.

"Is someone meeting you?"

"If this is you trying to get to Zach, then you can turn around right now and leave. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you. Just leave me alone."

"This isn't…I mean, that's not why I'm here," she said hastily.

"Then why are you here? Simply to annoy me?"

"No!" she cried. She quickly glanced around and lowered her voice as she said, "I came to apologize."

"What for? Being a slutbag whore? Or did you do something else to me that I don't know about?"

Tina pulled out the chair and sat down, ignoring the fact that I hadn't given her permission to do so. "I deserve that."

"You think?"

"I just…I acted like a crazy person. I don't even know what was wrong with me. I was just so set on hooking up with Zach, and I felt so slighted that he didn't want me…that he wanted you."

"Oh, yes, that's a great way to apologize—dismiss the fact that Zach could want _me_! I'm just the girl who thinks she's better than everyone else, right?"

"I'm sorry," Tina said earnestly. "And I know that you have no reason to forgive me. I don't expect you to, but I am sorry."

I shrugged. I wanted out of this conversation and I just wanted her to leave me alone. "You're right. You have no reason to be forgiven. You accomplished your mission anyway. Zach and I aren't together."

"What? Why?"

"Why do you think?" I asked. I started putting my papers back together. The assignment was basically completed. I just needed to get out of here.

"Because of what I did? But nothing happened. He didn't even touch me."

"Whatever, Tina. I don't know what made you have a change of heart in the last couple of weeks, but I don't want to hear it. Just leave me alone."

"All right. I just saw what happened at the New Year's Eve show."

My mood darkened. I didn't want to talk about _that_ either. "Saw what?" I asked anyway.

"Him saying that he loves you. I thought it was really romantic. It's what made me see how wrong I've been," she whispered.

I sighed and closed my eyes, remembering how I'd felt when Zach had dedicated "Life Raft" to those who had ever been in love—shocked, excited, hopeful.

My head hurt, and my heart hurt more. My whole world felt like it was crashing down around me all over again, and there was only one person who could pick up the pieces and give me the answers I needed. I was tired of hiding. I needed to go find Zach.

"I don't forgive you for what you did," I told Tina bluntly. "But thank you for apologizing and reminding me of what I have to do."

"Um…you're welcome."

Then, I was dashing out of the building and through the parking lot to my car. I drove to Zach's apartment, knowing he'd be alone since all the guys were at my place. But a nagging suspicion crept up on me, wondering if maybe he _wouldn't_ be alone.

The lights were out, and Zach's truck was missing when I arrived, but I decided to try knocking anyway. When he didn't answer, I slumped back against the door in defeat. I didn't know where else he could be. He could be anywhere really.

Then it hit me. I had a hunch about his whereabouts, and even though it felt totally insane because he really could be _anywhere_ , I still started up my car and followed my gut instincts.

* * *

 _ **{Zach}**_

"This fucking sucks," I grumbled into the wind.

I rested my hands on my knees as I sat on the blanket, and I stared out at the ocean. My foot absentmindedly kicked at the cold sand. I'd brought extra blankets with me, but I was just suffering through the icy temperatures.

After threatening Donovan and getting thrown from the party, I'd driven straight down the shore. I didn't have anywhere else to go. My friends were hanging out at Cammie's apartment, a place where I didn't belong. I didn't want to be in Roseville where I could sit around, be miserable and potentially run into Cammie. The only place I ever wanted to think was the beach. And I had a lot to think about.

I hadn't been out here long, but already, I was questioning if it was helping any. A lot of demons were chasing me, and none of this was making it any better. I suddenly wished that I'd brought a bottle out with me or at least a joint. Any of my old vices would have done the trick. Anything to numb the pain, but I didn't have anything with me. I'd more or less given everything up cold turkey when Cammie had walked out.

I just had the sand, the water, the moon, and a million tiny stars to mock me. _Congratulations on ruining your entire life, fuck-up. You're a good-for-nothing, worthless waste of space. How you managed to get this far in life, we'll never understand._

They sounded a lot like my mom, which only made me want to numb the pain even more. I had proven her right when all I'd ever strived to do was prove her wrong. I was nothing like my father, no matter how many times I'd claimed I wanted to be the man he was.

I dropped back onto the blanket and threw my arms over my face. _Maybe I'll just sleep out here. Hypothermia sounds preferable to this shit._

Footsteps echoed in the sand behind me. Hopefully, it wasn't a cop who was going to tell me to get the fuck off the beach. That would just be my luck.

I thought the person had passed by until a shadow fell over me. There wasn't much light out here to begin with, but there was enough to know someone was standing over me.

I dropped my hands and started to sit up to explain to the cop that I was going to leave, but I just stopped everything I was doing and stared.

"Cam," I whispered, my voice strained.

She was here.

 _How?_

 _No. This doesn't make any sense._

 _She must be a vision, a beautiful ethereal vision._

Before I knew what was happening, I scrambled to my feet and reached my hand out to touch her cheek. Her skin was warm beneath my icy fingers, and she shivered. _Oh god, she's real._ She was so soft, and damn, did I want her. It wasn't just physical need either. I wanted to be with her, sure, but mainly I just wanted _her_. I just wanted to pull her into my arms and know that she wasn't going anywhere.

"Hey, Zach," Cammie finally murmured.

"How did you know I would be here?"

"I didn't." She sighed softly. "Can I sit with you?"

"Sure." I gestured for her to take a seat on the blanket. "So…if you didn't know I'd be here, why'd you come?"

"I just had a feeling, and I needed to talk to you."

"So, now, you can talk to me?" I didn't know why those were the words that had left my mouth, but I couldn't help it. I'd pounded down her door. I'd been messaging her for weeks. She hadn't said a word. Now, she was just showing up with no explanation? No. Screw that.

"Yes," she snapped. "Now, I can talk to you."

"How did that space work out for you, Gallagher Girl? You have a good time? Go to any fancy parties?" Yeah, I was pretty much purposely antagonizing her, although I had no clue why. I guess I was more bitter about her silence than I'd thought.

"Would you shut up?"

"Not likely, darlin'. You drove all the way out here to see me. You're going to have to sit here and have a conversation with me."

"This isn't a conversation! This is us yelling at each other again!"

"Well, I'm just trying to figure out why it was so damn hard for you to use your fucking phone in the last three weeks. Is it broken? Did you not get any of my messages?"

"No, my phone isn't broken! I just needed some space. I believe I told you that."

"I didn't think space meant you were going to ignore all your problems for three fucking weeks."

"And I didn't think space meant that you were going to go and sleep with someone else!"

I snorted. "That's good coming from you."

"What the hell does that mean?" she shouted, sounding offended.

"You fucked Donovan, Gallagher Girl! Did you think he wouldn't tell me?"

"Now, you _are_ being ridiculous!" Her hurricane blue eyes were so dark, and she looked completely shocked at my suggestion. "When would I have slept with Donovan? And even if I _had_ the opportunity, you think I'd just sleep with _anyone_?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? You disappear without a word for three weeks, and then I get wind that you slept with Donovan."

"I didn't sleep with Donovan!" she shouted angrily. "He kissed me, but I didn't _sleep_ with him. I would never sleep with someone I just met! Unlike you on New Year's!"

It was my turn to look shocked. "Why does everyone keep saying that? I didn't sleep with anyone on New Year's! And you were off enjoying _your fucking space,_ so why would you even care if I had?"

"Because I loved you, you asshole!"

I blinked at her, her words settling in the darkness that surrounded us. "You loved me?" I asked, echoing her words like a moron who didn't understand.

Her heavy breaths filled the silence, but she said nothing.

" _You loved me?_ " I repeated sternly, not exactly asking anymore but demanding that she answer me.

"Yes," she hissed with a bite, but I still heard her shaky breath.

I swallowed hard. "And you still do?"

There was fear in her eyes, but I could also point out determination. And I knew the girl I had fallen for—the one who never backed down and _always_ told me exactly what was on her mind—was vying for confidence as she stared back at me.

"Yes."

My lips crashed onto hers before she had a chance to say something snarky with her smart mouth. There was no hesitation on her part. She kissed me right back as hard as she possibly could while grabbing my jacket tightly between her fingers. Her lips were like a double shot of espresso to my exhausted system.

The energy crackled between us, heating the crisp night air. There was too much space and decidedly too much clothing between us. The weeks of pent-up frustration was colliding into this one moment, and neither of us could keep our hands off the other. I just wanted to touch her, feel her, consume her. I needed her. All of her.

My lips moved to her neck greedily as I pushed her back onto the blanket. Her fingers deftly dragged the zipper down on my jacket. She was already shaking from the cold or from what we were doing, so I threw the remaining blankets over us. My hands found the waistline of her jeans, and after unzipping them, I dragged them down her legs.

"Shit," she hissed. "It's cold."

"Not for long, Gallagher Girl."

She squirmed underneath me until her breathing turned labored, our bodies meeting over and over again in a quick rhythm.

"Zach," she breathed as a gasp.

"Louder," I encouraged, my hand tangling deep into her hair.

"Oh God," she cried a little louder.

"My name, Gallagher Girl. Scream my name."

She was hesitant, but eventually I had her calling out my name louder than I'd ever heard her. She probably didn't even know how loud she was, which just made it that much better.

I leaned over her, my moans muffled into her neck as I pushed us both over the edge. I shuddered, and then I was spent.

Her breathing was ragged, and to my surprise, so was mine.

I pushed her hair out of her face, kissed her lips lightly, and sighed, "I love you."

She released a heavy breath and smiled up at me in a dreamy haze. "I love you, too."

* * *

 _ **{Cammie}**_

After our escapade, we retreated back to _Solomon's_ for warmth. Zach started a fire in the fireplace, dropped the blankets down on the ground, and snuggled us up in front of it. There was so much that needed to be said, yet…it felt right. Things finally felt right again.

Zach's mouth found mine again, and just when I thought we might have a repeat performance of what happened outside, he pulled back and just stared into my eyes. There was longing, pain, desperation, and desire all rolled into one.

"Cammie, about what happened at the lodge…"

"You don't have to say anything," I said quickly. "Tina told me nothing happened."

"I don't mean about that. I mean, about what I said. I was so angry, and you just laid out every reason I'd been telling myself why I didn't deserve you. I shouldn't have said those things. I shouldn't begrudge you the good life you had growing up. You deserve everything that you have. I love your fucking mouth, and I love how smart you are. I'd never change that because those are the things that made me fall in love with you in the first place."

I smiled slowly and then glanced down. "I shouldn't have said you were worthless. That's not fair to you. You _are_ ambitious. It's just not what I'd been raised to believe ambition was." Preston's face appeared before my eyes, and I shuddered.

"I've actually been thinking a lot about what you said, and on some level, I think you're right. I've been coasting through most of my life because of what happened. It consumed me, and I never let myself get past it. And…I might not be the CEO of a company, but I got a job."

"You did?" My mouth dropped open. I wasn't sure why I was so surprised, but I'd just never thought about Zach working. "Doing what?"

"Working at a recording studio. It's not a big deal right now, but I like the work. Plus, I wanted to do better, be more for you."

"Zach," I said with a smile, "you're already everything I want."

"That's not true, Gallagher Girl, and we both know it. You deserve a CEO."

"But I want you."

"And I'll be thankful every day for that, but I still have to try."

He was so earnest that I really believed him. I didn't think he needed to better himself for me, but I had told him that he wasn't good enough and that he hadn't done anything to prove he had changed. Well, here was proof.

"I appreciate that," I said finally. "But you know you can't quit the band, Zach."

"What? Why would I quit?" he asked, shocked.

"Aaron said you were thinking about it."

He ran a hand through his hair and cursed. "No, that's not what I meant. I'm not quitting the band. I'd never quit the band."

"Good." I breathed a sigh of relief.

I couldn't be the reason he gave up music. He'd eventually regret the decision and blame it all on me. It was a part of him just as I was.

Still, I had one nagging question. "And you…really weren't with any other women on New Year's?" I asked, feeling vulnerable.

His hands found the sides of my face, and I stared up into his dark green eyes that held so much emotion. The light of the fire illuminating his face only enhanced his beauty and his vulnerability. "You are the only person in this world that I want to be with. Other women don't even exist since I've been with you, Cam."

My heart skipped a beat at his admission, and I fully believed him.

"When did Donovan kiss you?" he asked, as if suddenly realizing it didn't make sense to him.

I looked away guiltily. "New Year's."

His eyebrows rose as the pieces fell into place.

"I was there," I told him.

"At the show?" he asked in disbelief.

I nodded. "I came backstage to find you after you stormed off, but you were already gone. That's when Donovan and some Max guy told me that you'd left with someone else."

"And you just believed them? You didn't think to call me?"

"I didn't want to interrupt your good time," I said darkly.

"Cammie, I was fucking miserable without you. I wanted to give you the space you'd asked for, but I wanted you with me every goddamn second you were away. I don't know what else I can say to prove that to you."

"I know." And I did. I knew that Zach was hurting in my absence, just like I had been. "I'm sorry it took me a while to realize it."

Things wouldn't always be perfect between us. We were too stubborn, too strong-willed, but we could work through the problems if we tried, if we really wanted to. I'd never felt like this with anyone else. I'd never let myself open enough to be hurt, but I'd also never opened myself up to be loved. And I loved Zach Goode with everything that I was.

"I'm not letting you go again," he told me, pulling me closer and kissing my forehead. "Next time you want space, can you not jet off to Nebraska for a few weeks?"

I laughed, taking it lightly. "Yeah, but I don't think I'm going to need space again."

"Oh, you underestimate me."

I smacked him on the arm and rolled my eyes. "Why do I like you again?"

"Something to do with my charm."

"Charm. Right," I teased.

He responded by giving my bottom lip a small bite and a wicked grin, and I held back a laugh. Never had I felt so satisfied and comfortable around someone before. It was almost relaxing.

"What made you decide to come out here anyway?" I asked. "I mean…it's freezing." And to prove my point, I pulled the blanket tighter around my still shaking body.

"I got into a fight with Donovan," he sighed.

My eyes went wide and I just looked at him in disbelief. " _Why?_ "

"He said that…" he trailed off and sighed again. "He said that we wouldn't work out, and I'd never get signed. I, more or less, told him to go to hell and that I'd prove him wrong."

"With your fist?"

"He deserved it."

"I'm sure he did." I remembered the kiss Donovan had taken from me, and I pushed it out of my mind. "You know you don't have to prove anything to anyone."

I reached out and laced our fingers together.

He gave my hand a brief squeeze. "There's more…"

I sat silently, not sure what I was supposed to be feeling at his words.

"Turns out Donovan was wrong…on both accounts," he said, grinning. "Someone signed a record deal with BlackThorne." Immediately, his face lit up as his small grin transformed into a big, unbelievable smile.

"Zach! That's great!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms around his neck.

"I heard the news from Jonas just before you showed up at the beach," he said through laughter as I practically attacked him.

"I'm so proud of you."

He grew silent before backing out of the hug so he could look at me. He was still smiling, but I knew something wasn't sitting right with him.

"We're scheduled to go on a promotional tour next month," he said cautiously.

I knew where his concern was coming from. We had _just_ gotten back together, and now he was leaving. He'd spend his days and nights playing for big crowds and being mauled by professional groupies, and I'd be here…at Gallagher…doing homework and worrying about what he was doing.

"That's great, Zach," I said through a tight-lipped smile. I didn't want my insecurities to drag down this incredible moment, but I was also never very good at acting.

"I want you to come with me."

"What?"

"I'm not letting you go again, Gallagher Girl," he said again, determination lacing his words this time. "Three weeks without you was bad enough."

"I'll still be here when you get back, Zach," I argued. I could feel the worry and the tension rolling off of him in waves. But there was nothing to worry about. Him going on this tour and me being in school wasn't him letting me go. We'd still be together, just not…physically.

"We're not coming back, Cam," he said quietly. "The record label is out in L.A. After the promotional tour, we're all moving out there."

"You're…moving to L.A.?" I asked in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. We _just_ got back together! I still had two more years left of school, I couldn't leave! But this was his dream. He had to go if that was what it took to live out his rockstar dream.

"Come with me," he said again, only this time, he was practically begging.

I shook my head. "I can't. What about school?"

"Do it online."

"What about my friends?"

"There are such things as phones, you know."

"What about my parents? They expect me to get a degree, and to have a stable job and a wealthy future like them."

He wrapped his arms around my waist and hugged me to him, his grip tight but strained as he tried to control himself.

"Do you _really_ want to become your parents?"

 _Hell no._ But that still wasn't enough reason to just pick up my life and follow Zach and his band to wherever their career took them. I had a life plan, and giving up my goals for a boy wasn't part of that.

"Gallagher Girl," he pleaded, "come on tour with me. And when that's over, move out to L.A. with me. I've seen what my life is like without you, and I can't live like that. Please. _Please_ say you'll come with me."

This was his dream. I couldn't ask him to give up his dream just so we could be together.

But he couldn't ask me to give up mine, either. Getting a degree was just step one. I had a million other future goals in mind. Become a well-established and nationally recognized surgeon. Find the cure for cancer. Make a difference in the world.

But did I have to do that in Virginia? Or Nebraska? Honestly, couldn't I do that _anywhere_? L.A. needed surgeons just like any other city. I could find a job and accomplish my goals there just as easily as I could back home.

And I'd be with Zach, who would be accomplishing everything he'd ever strived for in life as well. And wasn't that what I'd always wanted out of him? For him to be ambitious and motivated? We'd be living our dreams together, supporting one another. Not from across the country, but from right beside each other.

I looked up into Zach's hopeful eyes, knowing that my eyes were probably unreadable to him with all the confusion inside my head.

I took a deep breath and weighed all my options one last time. But it was clear to me now. There was only one answer…

"Okay."

 _ **The End**_

* * *

 **And they lived happily ever after (:**

 **Guys, I can't believe we've reached the end of Cammie and Zach's journey! If you've read _Take Me For Granted_ (and yes, I'm shamelessly promoting the book for the _millionth_ time), then you've probably noticed the ending is _COMPLETELY_ different...that's because there's a sequel follow-up book, and I haven't read that one yet, nor do I plan on translating it into a Zammie FF, so I had to change the cliffhanger ending into a fairytale one :D Plus, why wouldn't we want to see BlackThorne get signed and become huge rockstars?**

 **Thank you all SO MUCH for all the love and support you've given me through this journey! SHOUT OUT to all the amazing reviewers out there who shower me with praise (no matter how crappy I think a chapter is, or how mediocre I'm feeling) and who keep this fandom alive (: You're all the real MVP's here! Also, SHOUT OUT to CammieAMorgan for being the best supporter a girl could ask for! (Even though I'm sure I've blown up your PM box more times than I can count, lol)**

 **But seriously, I couldn't have done this without y'all (: And since this is the last chapter, I decided to answer all of your reviews here!**

 **Dreamer0704:** I'm so glad that this story was able to get an emotional reaction out of its readers (: That's the whole point in writing stories, isn't it? Lol. And yes, my exams went perfectly (three A's and a B, woot woot!) As a matter of fact, I _will_ be writing more Gallagher Girl stories! I already have one in the works, and I'm constantly thinking of more than I can possibly write lol. If you're looking for any ideas, I might have a few for you ;)

 **Smiles180:** I know it's totally crazy that it ended so soon! Honestly, I had forgotten how many chapters I was planning on writing, otherwise I would've let it be known sooner how fast the end was near...

 **CammieAMorgan:** Oh stop, you're making me blush (: I'm glad to hear you liked it, and I hope this chapter was everything you hoped and dreamed it would be. Thanks for giving me some brilliant ideas when I was stuck in my own head! (Did you notice I put your line in there? It was too perfect for me to pass up!)

 **Hiddenbookworm:** Unfortunately, there won't be a sequel. But if you want to read the sequel to the original story, it's _Take Me With You_ by K.A. Linde. Just know that the ending I wrote is nothing like _Take Me For Granted_ 's ending, so it might not make sense if you don't read the first book lol. Thanks so much for being a part of this journey! I'm glad to hear you liked it as much as I liked writing it (:

 **It'sHardIKnow:** I know, I'm sorry I didn't announce it sooner ): That was totally my bad...but hopefully you liked the story so much, that you'll forgive me (:?

 **Mackenzie911:** Oh, of course I was going to give y'all Zammie! I'm not cruel! Lol. Thanks for reviewing and I hoped you enjoyed reading (:

 **babysister1997:** well...I updated...you're welcome lol.

 **BritishBombshell007:** An emotional rollercoaster was EXACTLY what I was going for! Glad to see it worked lol (: I know I didn't give y'all enough of a warning so y'all could come to terms with it...that was totally my fault there...so sorry!

 **Guest:** Ooh, I don't think I've ever been raised to god status before...I like it! ;) Seriously, it warms my heart to see you so passionate and enthusiastic about this story. I, too, wish it didn't have to end :/ But it had a good run, and (if I do say so myself) it was pretty amazing while it lasted (: Thank you so much (:

 **Original Gallaghergirl:** Of course, I made it a happy ending! You can't write a Zammie story without Zammie! I've said it a million times already...but I really should've give y'all a warning sooner. I wasn't paying attention to how many chapters were left, and I completely spaced. It's totally not fair, and I wish I could've gone about it the right way, but unfortunately, I was in stress-mode for the impending doom that was finals week, and it must have slipped my mind... Again, so sorry! But thanks for the lovely review! I'm glad I could be of service to you (:

 **Love you all, and I hope that this story was everything you hoped it would be when you read the awful summary and clicked on it anyway!** **Stay awesome (:**

 **Now, here's the final quote to sum up this entire experience...**

 _"It was epic. It was awkward. It was epically awkward."_ **Ally Carter, United We Spy**

 **And because it's the last chapter, I thought I'd include a bonus quote. Seriously, my favorite quote, forever and always...**

 _"Spy."_ **Zachary Goode, All. The. Time.**


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